NAGPUR: Jeeteshwari Sahu, aged 24, was in tears after cops handed her over the cell phone handset which had gone missing in January last year while travelling from college to home.
Sahu was among the 111 persons whose missing phones, total worth more than Rs 32 lakh, were returned by the cyber police station in a first of its kind initiative, at Police Gymkhana on Saturday. Addl CP (crime) Sunil Phulari said it was “like a Valentine’s Day gift” for these people for whom the phones were special for various reasons.
Phulari added the cyber police station used technical evidences and mapping to trace the missing mobile phones. “A system would be started for filing online complaints for missing items,” he said.
“If the police stations do not help persons who have lost mobile phones then they can approach senior officers at the cyber cell,” said Phulari and added that they are now verifying whether offences can be registered.
Phulari also stated city police chief Amitesh Kumar was serious about dealing with cyber related cases.
Sahu, a postgraduate commerce student, had her important notes and files in the phone which her brother-in-law had gifted. Daughter of a menial worker, she didn’t tell her family about the lost phone for long.
She had to purchase another handset with her savings. “I was overjoyed after getting a call from the police department yesterday. No one believed the phone could be found but I was optimistic,” she said.
Kirti Ojha, 24, daughter of a priest residing at Mahal, said she had lost her cell phone in December 2019. All her contacts were stored in the phone. After few months, the pandemic struck and she lost her job too. “Without the contact details, I felt handicapped while searching for an alternative employment,” she said.
Ojha later expressed her gratitude to Phulari, DCP Vivek Masal, senior inspector Ashok Bagul, naik police constable Suryakant Chambhare, constables Deepak Chavan and Krunal Hatwar.
MahaMetro engineer Twinkle Belekar had the copy of his first joining letter in the mobile phone he lost. He thanked the cyber cell for recovering the phone.
Pankaj Mishra, a mechanical engineer, said he was keen to see whether the pictures of family members, friends and other memories were still there. “My father (AN Mishra) had gifted me the expensive mobile phone and it hold emotional value for me,” he said.