Snatchers are on the prowl in the national Capital. As a reporter of a national daily I have reported several snatching stories until I became a victim around 8.30 pm on Wednesday at New Ashok Nagar Metro Station in East Delhi.
The incident left me shocked and had my journalist colleague Chandan Prakash not been with me I shudder to think how I would have informed police about the incident immediately.
I also called one of my friends working with a news agency, who informed the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) of East Delhi about the incident.
A police team, including Station House Officer (SHO) of New Ashok Nagar Police Station, came to the spot within 15 minutes and the DCP called me on Prakash’s phone.
Meanwhile, I kept on calling on my mobile number but there was no response. A police official advised me to send messages on my phone so that it could be traced as the mobile was still switched on. A police team also scanned CCTV footages but it seems that the luck was with the snatcher as he could not be identified.
Meanwhile the DCP informed me that my phone location has been traced in Shakarpur area and a special staff team has been put on the job. However, it came to a nought as sleuths failed to locate the snatcher’s exact whereabouts.
Meanwhile, the SHO of New Ashok Nagar police station also contacted SHO of Shakarpur and shared my phone's location with him. SHO told me that a team of Shakarpur police station will also scan the area and they will try to nab the culprit.
I along with Prakash went to my home and kept on sending messages on my mobile. We also called on my phone number 6-7 times between 12.30 am and 3.30 am but around 4 am finally my phone was switched off.
Being hopeful that two police teams are looking for my phone and they will get it back as earlier on Wednesday Delhi Police had caught four person in 24 hours who had snatched metropolitan judge’s phone.
When I asked about any update in connection with my case, a police official said the phone was in Shakarpur area but the police could not find the culprit and phone as it is densely populated. The mobile was traced by police using Call Details Record (CDR).
About three months ago, my colleague Chandan’s mobile phone was also snatched from Delhi’s posh Civil Line area. Three months have passed but North district police has not done anything to recover his phone. Chandan had then met DCP North Nupur Prasad but she could do nothing.
Interestingly, the complaint given by Chandan at Civil Lines Police Station was registered as a case of theft (section 379 of Indian Penal Code). When Prakash questioned the police officials and stated that his phone was snatched and how could police register an FIR of theft? Finally after one and a half month FIR was updated under section 379/356/34 of IPC.