CBD abuzz with cellphone snatchers

BENGALURU: If you are booking a cab to get back home or just walking on the streets of the Central Business District (CBD) in the city, beware. Your phone might be snatched by bike borne thieves looking to make a quick buck. According to police, several groups are operational in areas of the CBD and they target people who have their cellphones out to book cabs or are talking on their phones while walking after midnight.

In most incidents, the miscreants just snatch the phones from the victims’ hands and zoom away and even while CCTV footage is available in some cases, it has become a challenge for cops to catch these muggers. For 24-year-old Amulya Chinmaye, a resident of Chamarajpet, returning home from the law firm where she works on February 20 became a nightmare. While enroute to her home late at night, she was waiting near the New Udupi hotel with a friend when around 11.30pm, she took out her phone to book a cab. A man on a bike saw the phone and within two seconds, he managed to ride very close to her and snatch her phone.

In fact, these robbers seem to target people booking cabs as most of the time their phones are out,  the screen is unlocked and they are looking elsewhere for their cab. In May 2018, Kumar Shailendra 42, was robbed of his iPhone right under the nose of Cubbon Park police  outside their station by bike borne muggers.

An investigating officer from Ashok Nagar police station, discussing Chinmaye’s case, said, “She was standing at the corner of the road, a biker snatched the phone and escaped even before she realised it. All such mobile snatching incidents are happening late at night.” However, the police do not suspect the involvement of a particular gang operating in the area and instead believe that persons like students, unemployed youth and other anti-social elements are involved in such robberies. “Students do it when they run out of pocket money, they target isolated places as the crime itself carries lesser risks of being caught. Mobile phones are easier to snatch because of their size,” the police officer said.

Sometimes, the miscreants go to the extent of threatening the victims as well. In a case that occurred in November 2018, a cab driver named Moyinuddin on his way to the Kempegowda International Airport was robbed of his phone and valuables on Museum Road after being threatened by the robber. Cubbon Park police had arrested a miscreant in this case.