Trusted Like Family: Domestic Workers Drug Merchant, Flee With ₹1.28 Crore – Police Nab 16

For almost seven years three young domestic workers had lived under the same roof as Pankaj Agrawal, a wholesale grocery merchant in Hardoi, and his wife. They were treated almost like family – given unrestricted access, trusted with keys and even allowed to roam the house after hours. That very trust, police say, became the linchpin of one of the district’s most daring residential thefts.

According to the investigation, the whole thing was masterminded by Ajay Shukla, the brother‑in‑law of the merchant’s accountant. Shukla allegedly knew that the Agrawal family kept large bundles of cash at home for business purposes. He recruited three domestic workers – 20‑year‑old Shobhit and two teenage labourers – to execute the plan.

The trio, initially reluctant, were reportedly persuaded repeatedly until they agreed. Over the next week they observed the couple’s daily routine, noted where the cash was hidden, and mapped out an escape route. The night of July 16, they slipped sleeping pills into the couple’s dinner. When Pankaj and his wife fell into a deep slumber, the conspirators crept into the second‑floor bedroom, pried open an almirah and lifted eight bags full of money.

Ajay, along with his associates Shivam and Badan, waited in a pickup outside. The bags – later counted at ₹1,28,99,310 – were loaded into the vehicle and the gang fled the scene. The next day, July 17, the Agrawals lodged an FIR, though the exact amount stolen was not mentioned in the complaint.

Hardoi’s Additional Superintendent of Police (East), Subodh Gautam, said the police pieced together the plot by reviewing footage from nearly 150 CCTV cameras, analysing electronic data and conducting raids across Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Delhi. The first breakthrough came when Shobhit and the two juveniles were detained; their interrogation revealed a wider network stretching from Hardoi to Lucknow.

Investigators say that after leaving Hardoi, the suspects reached Lucknow, where they handed a substantial portion of the loot to known history‑sheeters – Aman and Mahfooz alias Lali from Barabanki – for safekeeping and further distribution.

In total, 16 people were arrested, including Ajay Shukla, Shivam, Badan, Shobhit, Deepak, Sunny Gupta, Vishal, Param Kishore, Keshav, Sunny Valmiki, Neeraj, Prince and the two juveniles. The recovered cash came in denominations ranging from ₹10 to ₹500 notes. Police officials added that they are still tracking the remaining money and hunting down other culprits linked to the scheme.

This case serves as a stark reminder that even the most familiar faces can betray trust, especially when large sums of cash sit unattended at home. The Hardoi police have praised their coordinated effort – from CCTV sleuthing to inter‑state raids – as a model of swift, decisive action against organised theft.