Bengaluru cops' 'lost and found' app scripts a success story

Clocks up 1.1L complaints of lost items/documents; people spared of hassle

The e-Lost and Found Report app launched by the Bengaluru police to help people file complaints of lost items without having to go to the police station seems to be fulfilling its purpose. It has clocked up more than one lakh downloads and complaints in less than a year of its launch.

A total of 1,09,384 complaints of lost items have been reported on the app since its launch on July 15, 2016. More than 44,000 incidents were reported on the mobile app while the website accounts for over 65,000 filings, said M G Nagendra Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Command Centre).

The loss of 1,31,757 items and documents has been reported to the app. Some individuals have reported losing more than one item or document, he added.

“We have saved valuable time of our personnel as well as people who would otherwise have to visit the police station to file complaints,” he said. “The app helps avert possible harassment of people by police.”
Mobile phones, laptops, iPads, tablets and cameras are the most common items whose loss is reported on the app.

Members of the public have also reported losing firearm licences, passports, driving
licences, Aadhaar/ATM/credit/ration/admit/voter ID cards, educational certificates, demand drafts, cheques, fixed deposit papers, bank passbooks, air, railway and bus tickets, etc.

Driving licence is the most lost document, as per the app. As of April 20, 2017, a total of 14,005 complaints about the loss of DL have been filed on the app. Police, however, take the complaints about the loss of driving licence with a pinch of salt. “We suspect people are making mischief. They could be reporting the loss of DL when the traffic police confiscate it. We will intimate the Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) to examine such cases in detail before issuing duplicate driving licences,” Kumar said.

After downloading the app, one has to register and then report a lost item/document. Complainants will get a digitally signed acknowledgment by SMS and e-mail. The acknowledgment can be used to get duplicate documents from the authorities concerned, the DCP said.

The app has a Found Report option, too, which people can use to report finding any lost item or document. Police get an intimation if any person files a ‘Found Report’.