Hyderabad city police chief urges caution in hiring domestic help

Hyderabad: In view of a series of property offences allegedly involving Nepalese nationals in Hyderabad, the city police on Monday issued guidelines urging citizens to exercise caution while employing domestic workers.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar urged citizens, apartment welfare associations and gated communities to exercise utmost caution and vigilance while hiring domestic helps, cooks, watchmen and caretakers, particularly those from outside the country and other States.

“Criminals often exploit opportunities created by negligence, and no one should hire domestic staff without proper background checks and police verification. When you hire non-locals who have not lived in the same locality for many years, you are allowing a stranger without local roots and connections into your house. Given that an increasing number of households have only elderly people staying alone during the day, it is extremely important to carry out minimum safety checks before employing a non-local,” Sajjanar said.

The Commissioner also asked employers to closely monitor newly hired domestic workers during the initial weeks of employment, observing their daily habits, movements and frequent visits by unidentified persons or outsiders.

Residents should remain alert if a worker displays undue curiosity about wardrobe keys, locker combinations, cash, gold jewellery, family routines or the positioning and coverage angles of CCTV cameras.

“Crucially, employers must strictly avoid discussing financial transactions, travel plans, gold valuables or temporary family absences in the presence of domestic staff. At the same time, gated communities and apartment complexes should enforce strict access control by issuing identity passes, maintaining visitor registers and ensuring that round-the-clock CCTV surveillance systems remain fully operational,” Sajjanar said.

Safety guidelines for hiring domestic help

The police advised citizens to follow these precautionary measures while employing domestic workers:

♥ Verify identity documents: Collect copies of Aadhaar or voter ID cards and, in the case of Nepalese citizens, national identity documents. Verify the authenticity of the documents

♥ Check bank details: Use UPI details to check whether the account holder’s name matches the identity of the person being employed

♥ Verify Nepalese citizens’ IDs: Where applicable, use the Citizen Portal to verify identity details

♥ Contact relatives: Collect details of at least five close relatives of the prospective employee living in India. Contact them to enquire about the person’s background and establish references

♥ Check residence history: Establish where the prospective employee has lived and worked in the previous two to three years

♥ Contact previous employers and landlords: Obtain their phone numbers and verify the employee’s work and residence history, including previous stays abroad, before making a hiring decision

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mouli Mareedu

Mouli Mareedu