Mobile phone theft on the rise again in B'luru

Bengaluru, NT Bureau: While Bengaluru police has been cracking the whip on the accused involved in robbery and theft cases, mobile phone snatchers seem to have become active again in the city.

At least three mobile phone snatching incidents were reported on Saturday night between 9:30 pm and 11:45 pm in the city.

A resident approached the Kothanur Police Station and filed a case after two unidentified bike-borne youths allegedly snatched his mobile phone while he was walking towards his house in Sriramnagar around 9:30 pm. The police are on the lookout for the accused.

Within a few minutes, a similar incident was reported in Chandra Layout where a pedestrian was attacked and his mobile phone was snatched by two men on a scooter.

The accused allegedly approached the pedestrian and snatched his phone before fleeing on their two-wheeler. Around 11:45 pm, Govindaraj Nagar Police also received a similar complaint by a resident.

The police have launched a probe and are checking the CCTV footage of the spots to identify and nab the accused involved. But why are mobile phone theft incidents becoming more common?

Less risky for the thieves?

Before smartphones became ubiquitous, the surge in chain snatching incidents had given nightmares to the police. But it had its own risks. A police officer said that chain snatchings would surely lead to complaints and police probes.

However in case of targeted mobile phone snatching, people may not even raise a complaint. Moreover, robbing mobile phones was easy as even school students carry mobile phones these days, said the cop.

"Most of the accused involved in mobile phone theft cases are youth and even a few hundred rupees will do for the day. These people are on the prowl for money and they do not think about the consequences before committing the crime," the police added.

Karnataka Police are the best at recovering lost mobile phones

When it comes to recovering lost mobile phones, Karnataka police have a clear lead over their counterparts in other states.

According to the dashboard of the national portal, Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR), 32,024 mobile phones have been recovered in Karnataka, nearly a third of the 112,648 phones recovered across the country. Telangana comes in second place with 25,330 phones.