Since January 1, Mumbaikars have been surprised by visits from the Government Railway Police, who came to hand over cash, phones or gold that they had lost or was stolen from them, years or in some cases, decades ago. The cops are returning the property from as far back as 1983, which was otherwise kept in strong-rooms of railway police stations for years, after the police commissioner, Railways, instructed that all property in strong-rooms be returned to their owners.

The concept is the brain child of the Commissioner of Police, Railways, Ravindra Sengaonkar, who believes that a case remains undetected unless the stolen property is returned to the original complainant, and there is no reason for the property to stay in police strong rooms for years, even after the case is disposed of by a court," said M A Inamdar, senior police inspector of Kurla railway police. Commissioner Sengaonkar has given the police the target of returning the property from January 1 to February 2.