Almost two years ago, Pawan Tiwari had alighted from a train at the New Delhi Railway Station and was making his way into the adjacent Metro station when his cellphone went missing.
While lugging his bags and managing his way through the crowd, Tiwari had made his way across the ticket scanning machine at the Metro station, only to feel fingers fumbling in his jeans pocket. Before he could realise what had happened, his phone had been pickpocketed.
Tiwari filed a complaint with the police and forgot about the incident. Such things happen, he told himself. However, almost two years later, he received a call from the police informing him that his phone had been recovered.
The campaign, ‘Mission Reconnect – Your Phone’s Journey Back Home’, was launched on January 30 to not only track and recover stolen phones but also ensure their hassle-free return to their owners.
“When I received the call, I thought it was a prank call and hung up,” said Tiwari, chuckling. “I know at least five persons in my circle who have had their phones snatched or stolen… I don’t remember a single one getting their phone back,” he added.
On Friday, the Delhi Police’s Metro unit held an event to return recovered stolen phones to their rightful owners. The campaign, ‘Mission Reconnect – Your Phone’s Journey Back Home’, was launched on January 30 to not only track and recover stolen phones but also ensure their hassle-free return to their owners.
According to police, cellphone thefts account for over 80% of all crimes reported in the Delhi Metro, often orchestrated by organised criminal networks that swiftly dispose of or sell stolen devices.
In the last 20 days, 32 dedicated teams had travelled across 16 states – from Kerala to Jammu & Kashmir, and Meghalaya to Gujarat – tracking stolen phones and arresting culprits.
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The event on Friday was attended by Joint Commissioner of Police (Transport Range) Vijay Singh; DMRC Chief Security Commissioner Suvashis Choudhary; CISF DIG Akhilesh Kumar and DCP (Metro) Hareshwar Swami. Around 250 people who had lost their cellphones during Metro travel attended the event, where 201 recovered phones were handed over.
“Most people who lose their phones in Delhi are not from the city and most probably won’t come back to claim their phones. In such cases, we will courier their phones to them,” DCP Swami told The Indian Express.
Ansh Aggarwal was one of those who received his stolen cellphone at the event. However, receiving the phone was perhaps the last hoop he had to jump through. His first challenge was getting an FIR registered.
“My phone was stolen at Kashmere Gate Metro station a month ago… I didn’t know where to go to file a complaint… The Kashmere Gate police station took my application but said it won’t register an FIR,” said the 20-year-old BBA student.
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Officials at the programme emphasised that it was this complex process that often stopped phone owners from pursuing a case to recover their devices.
Aggarwal’s friend would try to file an e-FIR but could not figure out the process. Seeing no other way, Aggarwal gave up. However, a call from the police reminding him to get the FIR lodged made him give the process another chance.
“A few days later, we got a call saying my phone had been recovered but to claim it, we needed to go to the Tis Hazari court, submit documents and then get a release order to be handed over to the police… Following this, we got a call from the police saying we can’t claim the phone now but have to wait for a week for this event,” Aggarwal said.
Officials at the programme emphasised that it was this complex process that often stopped phone owners from pursuing a case to recover their devices.
“We have established a Court Facilitation Unit to work directly with judicial magistrates. This unit has streamlined the process by enabling virtual appearances for complainants, thereby eliminating the need for physical court visits. Furthermore, we have ensured that victims are not burdened by legal fees, which have previously acted as a deterrent to seeking justice. Upon securing the necessary release orders, the Reconnecting Unit ensures the efficient return of recovered mobile phones – either at police stations or, where feasible, delivered directly to the rightful owner’s residence,” said DCP Swami.
