In a high-profile theft case, the Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested a domestic helper who worked for over two decades at the Worli residence of Maharashtra Legislative Council Deputy Chairperson and senior Shiv Sena leader Sachin Ahir. The alleged culprit, 45-year-old Pravin Ramesh Solanki, is accused of systematically siphoning off gold, diamond ornaments, expensive silverware and cash totaling Rs 2.65 crore over an extended period of time.
Decades of Trust Broken
According to Mumbai Police, the grand larceny was disclosed when a family member at Ahir household (Gulrukh Building in Worli Seaface) looked for a piece of jewelry and found it missing. A thorough inventory of the household revealed a huge gap. Among the missing valuables were 100-gram gold biscuits, a number of diamond necklaces, rings, diamond-studded gold bangles, cash reserves and common silver utensils such as glasses, plates and jugs.
The investigation had revealed that Solanki, who resides in Nalasopara, had access to the home because he had been employed there for around 20 years. He took advantage of the knowledge of the home and the family’s trust and over the last few years he did the thefts in small increments to avoid detection.
Suspicion Arises from Missing CCTV Footage and Prior Blazes. They came to believe so when security measures were reviewed after a short circuit fire struck at the home on October 13, 2025. At first, the family thought that any money that they stored away for household expenses had been destroyed in the fire but after a thorough check of the home’s CCTV system it was found that some of the recordings were missing. This brought Sachin Ahir’s son Krishna Ahir’s complaint to Worli Police Station. Because of the amount of money loss as a result of the crime, the investigation was transferred to Unit 3 of Mumbai Crime Branch.
Manhunt for accomplices and recovery operation. Solanki was arrested and taken to the local court where he was remanded to police custody until July 28. The accused had admitted to fencing some of the stolen items during the lengthy interrogation, Crime Branch detectives were able to find about 325 grams of gold from a Mumbai jeweller to whom Solanki had illegally traded some of the stolen loot. Law enforcement experts and investigators will be deciding whether the jeweller should be charged with receiving stolen property or become a witness in the trial.
Manhunt for Accomplices and Recovery Operation. Solanki was taken to a local court, which remanded him to police custody until July 28. The accused admitted to fencing some of the stolen goods after a deep interrogation. Crime Branch detectives recovered about 325 grams of gold from a Mumbai-based jeweller whom Solanki had sold parts of the stolen loot. Legal experts and detectives are now debating whether the jeweller should be charged with receiving stolen property or as a witness in the trial.
