Ayah centres in eye of storm after rise in caregiver crimes
Times of India | 23 August 2025
Kolkata: The arrest of Ashalata Sardar (36) for the murder of a 79-year-old woman at the New Garia Cooperative Society has once again exposed the increasing trend of caregivers and servants getting involved in crimes.
According to Lalbazar, caregivers — especially those coming from multiple agencies that now operate across the length and breadth of the city — have been periodically found to be involved in thefts.
"At last count, we are getting around four to six such complaints a month. The actual numbers are a 40% rise since Covid," said a detective department officer at Lalbazar.
| Gold Rates Today in Kolkata | Silver Rates Today in KolkataMurders at Kustia, Baghajatin, and Gariahat in the past five years have also led cops to servants and caregivers.
Cops and citizens agree the biggest issue lies in completing the verification details. "While several citizens still see no merit in background checks, there are also complications of the verification taking longer than expected. We are studying if there are lacunae on our part," said an additional CP.
Most fly-by-night agencies tend to skip crucial security steps in order to cut costs. "People who engage them trust agencies blindly even though the employees come from far-flung areas. Perhaps a local recruit, who has gained repute through word of mouth and whose basic details are with multiple employees, is a major safety net," said an officer. Lalbazar hinted that they were considering action against all fly-by-night agencies that are skipping crucial verifications.
There are instances when employers asking for details of caregivers have faced "trust issues". They often refuse to submit their identity documents and threaten to quit the job if the employer insists. "In most such situations, the senior citizen has no choice but to hire help without any ID proof or the scope for a background check," said Anirban Chatterjee, a Jadavpur resident who hires two caregivers for his elderly parents daily.
Police said they were aware of the problem. "Periodic police campaigns have convinced many employers to follow the norms, but the message does not seem to have reached the helps. Many of them think being asked to submit a document means the employer is suspecting their integrity," said an OC.
Cops have recently issued an advisory saying one is vulnerable to crime even when inside the house as much as when the house is under lock and key. Office bearers of CARE — one of the biggest providers of caregivers in the city — said they have taken several steps to ensure that they do a proper background check of each caregiver. "We induct new caregivers only with reference from those ayahs who have worked for 12-15 years with us. The new applicant has to produce her Aadhaar card, voter card, a letter from the local panchayat or councillor stating that she indeed stays at that address, photographs, and permission from guardians that they are okay with the woman working in the city. We do a quick cross-check through our network as police verification takes longer," said an official at their Salt Lake office.
While some of the biggest corporate services like Portia and Tribeca said they have an elaborate system in place which they would share via email after getting a specific query, smaller ones like Horizon Ayah Centre near Garia insisted they worked only through "internal references" to cut down their recruits getting involved in petty crimes.
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