It was my usual route from Office to my residence in Powai. After getting off at Vikhroli station, I generally take an auto to Powai. I was hardly one kilometre away from my residence.
There is always a traffic bottle neck near the entrance of my residential society. And I was deeply engrossed, watching an episodeof my favorite Series ‘Sherlock Holmes’. Before I could react, a lean dark figure appeared from somewhere and snatched away my cell phone before I could realize and started running. I rushed out of my auto and started chasing after him. I shouted at the top of my voice, “Chor-Chor… Mera mobile leke bhaaga!” It was dark with dimly lit streetlights and chaotic evening hours - a scene straight out of a Bollywood movie. I followed him but he ran towards the busy market place and disappeared into thin air!
I helplessly started asking people passing by but got no response. A few passers-by stopped and enquired about the incident. Someone said that he saw him running towards the park. People asked me not to panic but look out for any suspicious people lurking around the park. As I was approaching the entrance of park, a boy approached me and informed that he knew where the thief was. To my shock the thief was hiding below a parked car.
People gather and caught hold of him red handed and started beating him up. He was a lanky boy in his early twenties with a swollen eye and pleading and crying for forgiveness. One of men in the crowd called the nearby police station. I called up my husband and informed him about what had happened. He just asked me not to get into further trouble and come straight back home. I requested the crowd to let him go with a warning. But the crowd didn’t pay a heed to what I wanted to say and surrounded me. They kept insisting that an FIR should be registered to curb the frequency of such petty crimes in the locality. Finally, I agreed and called my husband. He understood my situation and came over to accompany me to the police station.
Meanwhile, police personnel came in plain clothes and took the thief to the police station on his bike. My husband and I started walking towards the police station with a few others from the crowd escorting us. After a wait of thirty minutes, a police officer asked about the incident and said that he would take time to file the FIR. It was already 9.00 p.m. I requested the police to let the boy go with a warning but he didn’t agree.
Then he asked about my phone and took a look at it. He further asked whether it was the same boy and what the price of my phone was. “Madam, you will have to deposit the cell-phone and undergo legal procedure.” He said. The phone would be retrieved only from court. I was taken aback. To that I replied that I don’t want to get into this entire process. That peeved the officer for he replied, “Since you found the mobile, you don’t want to register the complaint; else you would have definitely filed FIR!”
I tried to convince him, explaining my situation. My office was in Worli and it would be difficult to manage this additional responsibility to go for court hearings in order to recover my phone. Plus, I didn’t even want the boy to be taken to the police station in the first place! After much coaxing, he finally agreed after consulting his senior. They informed me that they would further investigate with the thief and also took a note of my details, to contact me in case of any requirement connected to the case
Walking back with my husband, I realized, that this is how our (British era) legal system works! That’s why, as on todaythere are more than 3 CRORE cases pending in our courts. My case would have been one miniscule sheet of paper lying with the rest!
