Times of India: Mumbai: Thursday, July 13, 2017.
Mobile phone
thefts, the most-reported crime on suburban railways, have been steadily
decreasing in the first four months of 2017 as compared to the previous two
years. Four hundred cellphone thefts were recorded between January to April
2017 which is 34% lesser than last year.
Nearly 58% of
the complainants got their stolen phones back and 273 mobile thieves were
arrested this year.
Electronic
surveillance and deploying teams in mufti such as the all-women Nirbhaya squad
have helped the cops to nab offenders. The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has
also been chipping in. "We have compiled a booklet containing profiles of
habitual criminals operating in Maharashtra and Gujarat. The booklet contains
the name, age, alias, address and offence committed by each individual. It can
be referred to easily by personnel posted on trains and station areas,"
said senior divisional security commissioner, RPF (WR) Anup Shukla. Western Railway
is also in the process of increasing the number of cameras, particularly in
non-suburban sections. "Currently, there are 1103 cameras in the entire
division. We intend to increase the number to 2800. Tenders have been given
out," said a railway official.
"Annually,
846 cellphone thefts were reported in 2015 and 849 last year. Of these, 52%
complainants got their stolen phones back in 2015 and 57% in 2016," said
activist Nitin Gaikwad, who obtained the information under the Right to
Information (RTI) Act. I wanted to know how many commuters actually get their
stolen mobile phones back," he added.
To make the
process of penalising thieves more stringent, the GRP has been filing
chargesheets faster. "This prevents the accused from getting bail. Past
records of the accused are also put up before court so as to argue for a longer
sentence," said a GRP officer. "We have also been studying the time
and location of cellphone thefts and posting personnel accordingly," he
added.
Both the
railway security agencies have been instructed to step up visibility in station
areas as it acts as a deterrent for criminals. In the past, the GRP has often
been criticised for checking content in passengers' cellphones or checking
their bags and demanding money for release. "Personnel have been
instructed to not check baggage randomly, unless absolutely necessary. If
baggage has to be checked, it needs to be done under CCTVs and in the presence
of an officer of sub-inspector rank or above," said a top GRP official.
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