Phone snatchers on the prowl

Hameed Ashraf | NT

Bengaluru: Despite intensified patrolling and installation of high-tech CCTV cameras, the city continues to witness an uptick in pettiest of crimes such as muggings, assaults and mobile phone theft cases, even in the posh localities here.

On the night of January 31, a PUC student, Shavik, was returning from his tuition classes in Pulakeshinagar Police Station limits when an unidentified person approached him requesting Rs 20 to have some tea.

However Shavik politely told him that he did not have any cash with him. As the student turned and took out his phone to make a call, the person allegedly snatched his mobile phone and fled the scene.

Shavik filed a case with the police. Similarly on the same night, a resident of Mahadevapura, Anjan Kumar was robbed of his mobile phone by an unidentified youth.

Anjan Kumar said that he was walking towards his house around 8:45 pm while speaking to his friend on the phone. A person allegedly pushed him to the ground and managed to flee with his phone.

Over the years, Bengaluru has become a hub for bike-borne youngsters involved in mobile phone snatching incidents.

According to the Bengaluru City Police, although there are at least 40 CCTV cameras installed in various vulnerable places to keep track of anti-social elements, and most buildings in the area have security cameras, the police are still finding it difficult to nab the muggers.

The police say it is not just one group of people committing these thefts, but rather random groups of two or three people, which makes it difficult to catch them.

Stolen mobile phones being sold

In the last few months, police have recovered more than 300 stolen phones that were sold at throw away prices by the accused.

The police suspect the reason for an uptick in mobilephone theft cases is that it is easy to sell them in exchange for cash.

According to the police, android Smartphones were being sold for cheaper rates between Rs 3000 to Rs 6000 by some juveniles during lockdowns as there was a huge demand for mobile phones because of online classes and meetings.

"During our probe, we found most of the people in the slum had purchased second-hand phones from robbers for ‘reasonable rates’," an officer who did not want to be named, said.

Reason for the spike in robberies

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. 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.

Another officer said that the accused involved in such incidents do not have money to buy drugs, liquor and sometimes even to fill fuel for their vehicles, so they resort to snatching mobile phones to sell it in the grey market.

Bengaluru police recorded 673 robbery cases in 2023, with a majority of them consisting of mobilesnatching cases. In 2022, the city police recorded 477 robbery cases.