CHENNAI:City residents share their encounter with cell-phone snatchers and the precautions taken
Umang Parekh,lives in Nungambakkam
In my locality, 15 phones were stolen in two weeks. My phone was stolen, too. I was booking a cab right outside my apartment when two guys came on a bike, made a sound and right after that they grabbed my iPhone 7 and fled. I tried chasing them but by then they had gone. I filed an FIR with my phone bill details and IMEI number but haven’t received a response so far. I did lock the phone through the iCloud app but it is hard to tell what they might have done with my phone.
Arathi Kannan,lives in Thiruvanmiyur
My phone got stolen around the time of my exams and it was a big problem. I didn’t have any contacts backed up and it was hard to get in touch with people. I also got very worried about personal data being accessed by whoever took it. Since then I check my bag every once in a while to ensure the phone is safe. I’ve also added additional security like app lock, and backup my data to ensure I have full control of the content no matter what.
Vedika Agarwal,lives in Nungambakkam
My phone was stolen but I was lucky to get it back. I had left my bag unattended for a short while at a nightclub. I came back to find that the bag was there but my belongings were missing. It was a Blackberry phone so a few weeks later a friend added my PIN to see if it was active and the boy who had my phone engaged in a conversation with him and agreed to meet. He was a class 11 student and when my friends retrieved the phone, he said that he bought the phone from the grey market and apologised.
Pavithra Balajee,lives in Mylapore
Four years back my phone was snatched while I was talking to someone and walking towards home. And this was during the day on a busy street. There is a gang that is quite active in this area. The only way to prevent this is to not take our phone out while on the road. Always be aware of who is around you while walking and driving. Under necessary situations just get into some shop nearby and use the phone. Recently, even my father’s phone got snatched. He tried chasing them but fell down on the roads. Bystanders apathy is prevalent too.
Komal Jain,lives in Kelly’s
Be vigilant. Be aware of the surroundings and keep your valuables in a closed bag near you. While travelling in trains, buses, or even walking on pavements make sure you hold on to your bag on your shoulders. Once robbed, you are less likely to get it back. Lock your home screen with a unique unusual password.
Rohit Pokarna,lives in West Mambalam
First, it’s our responsibility to be safe. One must have a security option like a pattern or fingerprint for switching on the phone and extra protection for all banking and wallet apps in your phone as it will prevent from wrong usage of it. Measures like patrolling by police, installing CCTV, strict punishment for breaking the law, awareness campaign through social media, etc must be adopted to curb theft. My mom personally faced this issue, too. Once a biker snatched her gold chain while she was out on her morning walk. But we got it back within a week with the help of the police. My mom continues her morning walk as usual with no worries but she is more alert now.
Inputs by: Vaishali Vijaykumar, Rochana Mohan, Dia Rekhi
