Gang targeting expensive cellphones on the prowl in Bangalore

11 cases were reported between Wednesday and Saturday

January 21, 2013 10:43 am | Updated June 13, 2016 12:00 am IST - Bangalore:

Koramangala and Madiwala areas have witnessed a sudden spurt in cases involving snatching of expensive mobile phones in the last few days.

Between Wednesday and Saturday, 11 cases have been reported in the police stations of these two areas with a majority of the victims turning out to be working professionals.

The crimes have been reported from not only the busy Silk Board Junction but also around Forum Mall in Koramangala, near the Madiwala police station.

The police suspected that it could be the handiwork of members of a single gang.

While a few had lost their mobile phones in heavily crowded buses, others had realised that their mobile phones had been taken away from their cars that had been brought to a halt after being hit by two-wheeler riders. Most of the mobile phones snatched are expensive models.

The victims are upset with the police for not registering their complaints as robbery. “My phone was taken away from my car by motorcycle-borne men who rammed into my vehicle deliberately. But, the police initially refused to lodge a complaint. Later, they booked it as a case of theft instead of robbery,” Suraj told The Hindu .

The Madiwala police said that the suspects spoke Hindi with a North Indian accent. “We picked up many people on suspicion. But, they were let off after the victims said they were innocent,” they said.

“We are looking for people depending on the descriptions given by the complainants. Now, there is pressure not to disturb innocent people just because they are North Indians, and hence, we are in a fix,” they added.

Asked about the charge that cases were booked under the head theft and not as robbery, they said that “these thefts happened after the complainants were distracted. So, it comes under attention diversion and not under robbery.”

The Koramangala police said, “We have increased the number of personnel patrolling in the evenings. A few of us also keep track of car movements at busy junctions to help avoid such incidents.”

Assistant Commissioner of Police Subbanna said that since the thefts mainly occurred around Forum Mall and near Silk Board Junction, the police have put up loudspeakers, warning passers-by. He said that policemen in mufti have been deployed there.

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