JOIN USBengaluru cabbie has a field day with stolen mobile
An architect whose mobile phone was snatched away by a cab driver in a road rage incident suffered a double whammy when the police refused to register an FIR.
That was not all. All hell broke loose when the women staffers of his firm started receiving obscene messages and calls from the miscreant.
Sharath Raj (57), a resident of Nagawara and the owner of a private firm, said he was robbed of his phone 10 days ago after a heated exchange with a cabbie who hit his car. Raj said he had complained to the police but they didn’t register an FIR.
The driver then began chatting up the women on his contact list. Raj put pressure on the cops to register a case. Finally, after several traumatic days, the miscreant was tracked and arrested.
According to his complaint, Raj was driving from Hebbal towards Nagawara around 6.45 pm on January 16 when a Tata Indica cab (KA-18-B-8196) hit his car from behind. Raj asked the cabbie to be careful and continued his drive.
The driver, identified as Mithun (28), followed Raj’s vehicle and intercepted him. Mithun got into an argument with Raj and manhandled him. He then snatched Raj’s mobile phone and sped away.
“I brought the incident to the notice of the jurisdictional police, but they didn’t register the case. Both the police and I waited for the driver to return the phone, but he didn’t turn up,” he said.
Raj had blocked the SIM card of the stolen phone and got a new SIM with the same number.
Meanwhile, the miscreant started making calls and sending lewd messages to women staffers in Raj’s firm.
“Mithun accessed the contacts in my mobile. He also accessed my WhatsApp chat, obtained the phone numbers of women staff and started harassing them,” Raj said.
After Raj put pressure on the police, a case of robbery was registered in Amruthahalli police station following which the police traced the location of Raj’s mobile as the miscreant was using his personal number to call the women.
An investigating officer said, “We have recovered the victim’s mobile and seized Mithun’s mobile and car. Further investigation is on.”
Insist on FIR
There are complaints that police often ignore mobile thefts and robbery cases. Sometimes, the victims are advised to report the incident through Bengaluru police's 'E-lost' gateway, which is meant for those who lose a mobile.
Police negligence can have serious consequences in some cases where women end up being harassed by miscreants. It is important for the victims to urge the police to register an FIR in case of theft and robbery as the thieves can use SIM cards or mobile phone for crimes and anti-social activities.