KARACHI – A domestic worker in Karachi’s upscale Defence Housing Authority (DHA) area has been arrested after police discovered he had allegedly amassed millions of rupees in assets while working for an elderly couple all on a modest salary of just Rs45,000 per month.
Police identified the suspect as Wajid Ali, who reportedly lived far beyond his means, maintaining four active bank accounts that showed transactions totaling over Rs18.6 million. Investigators said Ali had purchased a flat in Karachi, several plots in Haripur and Islamabad, and gold ornaments valued at more than Rs10 million. He even owned a passenger van that operated between Haripur and other routes, according to officials.
The arrest was carried out by the Sahil Investigation Police, who are now tracing the origin of the suspicious funds. Early findings suggest that Wajid Ali gained the trust of his employers over several years, eventually securing access to their bank lockers and financial accounts.
Police said the elderly couple had hired Ali about eight years ago. Over time, he became a trusted aide, managing household affairs and handling remittances regularly sent by the couple’s children living abroad. However, after the husband’s death four years ago, Ali allegedly began siphoning off money and valuables belonging to the widow.
Investigators believe the thefts took place gradually, allowing the suspect to quietly build his wealth without arousing suspicion.
The case bears similarities to an earlier incident reported in DHA earlier this year, where another domestic worker, Shehnaz, was accused of stealing millions from her employers. Shehnaz, along with her son and the family driver, was arrested after police recovered about Rs4.5 million in cash, three vehicles, and documents for a shop worth Rs7 million, as well as multiple flats pending verification.
According to investigators at the time, Shehnaz had been with the family for 15 years and had even employed additional housemaids under her supervision. Police alleged that she, too, took advantage of her employers’ trust to slowly accumulate wealth through theft.
Authorities say these cases highlight a growing pattern of long-term domestic employees exploiting their employers’ confidence to carry out sophisticated thefts often over the span of years. Investigations into Wajid Ali’s assets and possible accomplices are ongoing.
