BENGALURU : Incidents of phone snatching are not new to the city or few in number. However, only three cases were registered last week, and 21 cases in the whole of February. Police sources say the number of cases registered are too few as compared to the actual incidents, as local police stations do not file FIRs when cases are reported.
“They ask the victim to file a petition under ‘e-lost’ on the BCP mobile application, which is wrong,” said a senior police official. In February last year, at 10.20 pm, IT employee Anupam Pavithram was robbed of his phone. “I was on the side of the road on a call.
Suddenly, my phone was snatched by a group of three men on a bike. I tried to chase them on a bike, but in vain,” he said. “I couldn’t see the number plate due to low light. I went to RT nagar Police station and narrated the incident to a constable. He just wrote down the phone details and time at of the incident, and told me to file an e-lost report on the Bangalore City Police mobile application,” he said.
A police constable told CE that FIRs are time-consuming. “E-lost reports are helpful in getting you a new SIM card and exempting you from any misuse of the stolen device,” said the officer. However, K Annamalai, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South), told City Express that he is particular about FIRs being filed for such crimes. “I make sure all local stations in the southern division file FIRs. This way, there is an accurate representation of the crime.”
Seemanth Kumar Singh, Addl Commissioner of Police (East), told us that he is unaware of such a practice happening at local stations. “Mobile snatching should be treated as robbery, while missing/lost cases are different. If such a practice is going on at local stations, an inquiry will be conducted,” he said.
T Suneel Kumar, Police Commissioner, Bangalore city, emphasised the same. “If inspectors do not register a case, the victims can approach the area DCPs, and action will be taken accordingly.”
What citizens can do
● If on call, keep the device on the left (motorists travel on the right side)
● Be cautious and
alert at all times
● Remain stationary while on call
● Register complaint
as FIR