Kolkata Police has recommended mandatory verification of household employees through its digital registration system, after finding that domestic help and caregivers were involved in nearly one-third of theft cases reported in the city in the past couple of months, an officer said on Sunday.

The officer cited internal statistics compiled by the Kolkata Police, which found that 32 of the 104 thefts reported between December 2025 and January 2026 involved maids, servants or caregivers.

This accounted for roughly 31 per cent of the total, he said, adding that the statistics by the Detective Department were internally shared among personnel and not meant for the media.

The trend has continued in February, with three of the 11 cases registered in the first week allegedly linked to domestic staff, he said.

"The pattern underlines growing vulnerability within residential premises, particularly homes with elderly residents," the officer explained.

In one of the most serious recent incidents, a female senior citizen was murdered at Behala, allegedly by her former caregiver, he said.

"Employees having no verification of identity pose a significant security risk and we are appealing to residents to complete 'Domestic Help Profile' registration, either through the Kolkata Police 'Bondhu' mobile application or the official website," he said.

In cases of elderly citizens who are not tech savvy, their children or younger members of the family must be approached for assistance as these measures should not be delayed, the officer said.

The form requires detailed information about workers, including identity proof, permanent address and photographs, which can help in background checks and faster investigation in case of offences, he said.

The officer added that awareness drives are being strengthened across police station areas to encourage compliance, especially in apartment complexes and neighbourhoods with a high proportion of elderly citizens living alone.

"Timely verification and documentation of domestic workers could also act as a deterrent and reduce the chances of theft and other crimes within households," he said.

Somnath Das, who runs a caregiver centre in the Bansdroni area, said he maintains a database of around 250 caregivers, mostly from South 24 Parganas and nearby south Kolkata outskirts.

"We strictly go by original Aadhaar and voter cards of the people we employ and share their details with local Netajinagar police station. However, the fly-by-night caregiver centres that have surfaced in recent times don't follow such rigorous procedures and give us a bad name," Das said.

"It is important for every client to be on guard against the black sheep," he added.