While one has heard of mobile snatching on roads and busy areas, a Public Works Department employee complained that a total of six mobile phones were lost on the PWD campus in the last few months alone.
Representative Image
Chennai:
The official said, “Around two mobile phones were reportedly stolen from the PWD premises. This place is unsafe when compared to private firms.
Given it is a government office, public entry cannot be restricted. We are witnessing a continuous flow of people round the clock. Therefore, we cannot isolate the suspect soon after an incident.”
After repeated pleas with the higher officials, he was sanctioned a sum to install CCTV cameras in the immediate surroundings. Now, he has five surveillance cameras in and around his cabin. Therefore, he keeps monitoring the place even when he is away.
“I keep monitoring this place even when I am having my lunch in the next room. The recent incidents have petrified me,” he said. Recently, he caught a person red-handed when he tried to flee with stolen goods, using video footage.
“We secured the person and handed him over to the local police on the same day. In another instance, we gave the footage to the police team who apprehended the thief in a matter of days,” the official said.
The elated official is planning to bring the whole of his wing under the surveillance system in a couple of months but complained that there is a delay due to the upcoming general election.
“Although the employees from this department are not roped in for the election works, only a little work will be done during that time of the year.”
— Nivedhika Krishnan, Chennai