Haath Ki Safai 1974

Two brothers are torn apart while fleeing their village and drift into the crowded streets of Mumbai. The younger brother, Raju, falls under the sway of a crafty crook named Usmanbhai Bombay and learns the art of pickpocketing. The elder, Shankar, becomes a ruthless crime boss who operates under the alias Kumar, and his wife Roma remains unaware of his illegal world, living under the same roof where he runs a hotel that doubles as a front for gold and diamond smuggling.

Kamini, an orphan living with her crook uncle Chopra, arrives in Mumbai for a dance show and is robbed of her purse. When Raju retrieves it from another pickpocket, Raghu, he ends up pocketing Kamini’s expensive necklace instead. Kamini’s uncle owes a million to the formidable Ranjeet, who schemes to marry Kamini for a fortune worth five million. Kamini flees her home, setting off a chain of clever maneuvers and misdirections.

Ranjeet places a newspaper advert claiming Kamini has run away with the jewelry, and Raju is the first to find her and lure her to an isolated bungalow. Kamini confesses her love for Raju and pretends to reciprocate, while he secretly searches her baggage and discovers no jewelry. Meanwhile, Shankar traces Raju and arranges Kamini to be traded for Rs. 10,000. Kamini is heartbroken by the deception, and Ranjeet settles his score with Shankar, paying him off to regain Kamini. Kamini manages to slip away and seeks shelter at Shankar’s home, where Roma learns the truth about her husband and nearly harms herself in shock. Shankar, certain that she is dead, is saved by Raju and brought home. Given Kamini’s pregnancy, the doctor advises rest, and Shankar vows to abandon crime, offering Kamini a safe haven and treating her like an elder sister.

The plot thickens as Ranjeet grows more vengeful. Kamini discovers that Raju has renounced theft and wants to lead a dignified life with her, which inflames Ranjeet’s plan to use him as a pawn. He engineers a setup to have Shankar arrested for smuggling gold, though Shankar manages to hide the gold before the arrest. Ranjeet’s scheme to drive a wedge between Kamini and Raju backfires when Kamini learns she was never the wealthy heiress her uncle claimed to be. She informs Shankar that Roma is alive and has their baby, and Shankar escapes prison to reunite with his wife. He then encounters Raju, who captures Shankar and trades him for Kamini, returning home with the purse he had earlier pocketed from Shankar.

Back at home, a crucial detail emerges: the recovered contents reveal that Shankar is actually Raju’s long-lost brother. This discovery drives Raju to rescue Shankar in a climactic finale, concluding the tale with a dramatic, familial reconciliation and a renewed sense of purpose.