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Home > Mumbai > Mumbai News > Article > Mumbai Andheri police trace stolen mobile phone one year later

Mumbai: Andheri police trace stolen mobile phone one year later

Updated on: 08 December,2017 07:27 PM IST  |  Mumbai
Asif Rizvi | asif.ali@mid-day.com

Andheri GRP locates, returns south Mumbai resident's R14,000 cellphone over a year after it was stolen at Jogeshwari station

Mumbai: Andheri police trace stolen mobile phone one year later

Most of us would think that looking for stolen cellphones is the least of Mumbai Police's priority. Dongri resident, Asma Motan, had the same notion. So much so that when Motan lost her Rs 14,000 smartphone last year, she had no hope of retrieving it. "In fact, I had forgotten about it," the media professional told mid-day.



Asma Motan with her phone that was recovered after a year


Hence, it came as a shock to her when the Andheri Government Railway police called her up this week, to inform her that they had found the phone. The smartphone had been stolen on December 2, last year, while Motan was travelling in a train to Jogeshwari from Mumbai Central.


"When I received the call from the police, I was surprised. It took them over a year, but what matters is that they did their job," she said.

The complaint copy issued by the Andheri GRP after Motan lost her phone at Jogeshwari station
The complaint copy issued by the Andheri GRP after Motan lost her phone at Jogeshwari station

Recalling the incident when she lost her phone, Motan said, "My son and I were on our way to visit a relative in Jogeshwari, and had caught a local from Mumbai Central station that afternoon. I had just brought a brand new Samsung phone, and had kept it in my jeans pocket. When our station arrived, I lifted my son to alight, as it was crowded. Suddenly, I felt someone reaching out for my phone. As soon we got on to the platform, I looked into my pocket, only to find that my phone was mission."

Motan tried looking for her phone on the platform and even dialed the number. "But, it was on vibration mode, so it was impossible for me to locate it," she said.  After a relentless search, she decided to report the matter with the Jogeshwari Police. She was, however, asked to go and file a complaint with the Andheri GRP. "For months, I kept calling the Andheri GRP on regular intervals, to check if they had found my phone. But, after three months I gave up," she added.

On Wednesday morning, however, Motan received a call from the police telling her that they had found her phone. "I could not believe what I had just heard, and decided to visit the police station. I met a senior officer, who told me that my phone had been found in Aurangabad with a truck driver and that they had been tracking it for long time," she said, adding that except for a small dent, her phone was in good condition.

"It's a misconception that the police does not take small crimes seriously, but that doesn't appear to be true," she added.

When contacted, an officer with the Andheri GRP, said, "We were trying to track the phone for a long time, but as the location kept changing continuously it became difficult for us to recover it. When a stable location was found, the current user of the phone was tracked, which led to its recovery."  

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