Mobile phone thieves on the prowl

Stolen phones being sold at throwaway prices; used phones in demand

Hameed Ashraf | NT

Bengaluru: Recently, a woman travelling in an autorickshaw in Koramangala noticed two men on a bike following the auto. She got busy browsing her mobile phone, but her auto stopped near a red signal, the bikers too stopped close to the auto.

Once the signal turned to green, the pillion rider lunged towards her and tried to grab her mobile phone. Initially, she held it tightly, but later let it go to avoid falling from the auto. The bikers sped away.

“It all happened in just a few seconds. Even the auto driver realised it too late,” she told News Trail.

The woman, however, had shared her live location details to her husband and asked the driver to take her to the police station. Two off-duty officers from Koramangala police station tried to trace the culprits using the location, which showed the phone to be at the next cross road. But by the time the officers reached the spot, the mobile phone was switched off.

The victim had filed a police complaint and investigations are on to nab the miscreants.

A similar incident took place near Upparpet police station limits, when an Indian Air Force officer while returning from a walk around 9:30 am on December 17.

Two masked miscreants on a bike approached him on the pretext of asking for an address and sped away after snatching his mobile phone. Acting swiftly on the complaint, the police nabbed one of the accused, identified as Mohammed Asim, the next day. They recovered two mobile phones and a bike from him. The manhunt for the other accused is on.

Yet another incident came to light near Peenya police station limits. A resident of Nelagadaranahalli was walking towards his uncle’s house along with one of his relatives around 2 am. Two men on a bike blocked their way and threatened the duo with sharp weapons if they did not part with their valuables. The miscreants robbed them of Rs 10,000, two mobile phones before fleeing. The police are on a lookout for the muggers.

Stolen mobiles being sold

In the last few months, police have recovered more than 200 stolen phones that were sold at throwaway prices. After Covid lockdowns, there is a huge demand for used mobile phones, as online classes have become mandatory for most students.

According to the police, android smartphones were being sold for cheaper rates between Rs 3,000 and Rs 6,000 by some juveniles during lockdowns. “During our probe, we found most of the people in the slum areas had purchased second-hand phones from robbers for ‘reasonable rates’,” an officer said under condition of anonymity.

67% rise in phone thefts

According to the latest report in Numbeo, Bengaluru has seen an increase in crime by 66.59 per cent in the last three years.

A senior IPS officer pointed out that the reason behind the increase in such cases might be due to financial distress. “The repeat offenders of this kind and first-timers are contributing to a spurt in theft cases post the Covid lockdowns. While habitual offenders claimed before police that they needed money for legal expenses, first-timers said they were pushed into committing crime due to financial distress caused by job loss or inadequate wages,” the official said.

What to do if you lose your phone?

In case of a phone theft, the victim should immediately have his SIM blocked, and track the phone if one has the facility on Android and IOS. Then lodge a complaint at the nearest police station.

Alternatively, one can go to the Bengaluru city police website and file an elost report. The contact numbers can also be found on the Bengaluru Police website.