[stallmaster]

Originally Posted by sunilg33

The system is corrupt and inefficient to the core. let me narrate an incident which happened 5 years back.
Five of us friends were returning from a trip to Madikeri and were on the way to Bangalore. We stopped our yellow-colored Zen on the main road at Kamat lokaruchi restaurant, 50 km from Bangalore. This restaurant is very popular on the stretch. Being a Sunday the parking stretched quite a bit and we had to park a bit far away.
We went in had coffee and were back in 20 minutes to find our car missing. We were shell shocked, we just couldn't believe that a car could be stolen in daylight from such a busy place. Now the ordeal begins.
5:30 PM - We call the number 100 to report to the police.
They give the local police station number and ask us to contact them.
5:35 PM - Local police station asks us to come to the station
5:45 PM - We find a traffic police car on the way and tell the story.
Our expectation: Guys get on to the car lets chase them
Actual reply: Go and complain in the police station
6 PM - We reach the police station and they check if we were drunk and ask to wait for the senior officer
6:20 PM - Based on the area for theft they ask up to go to the rural police station which is next to the main police station
6:40 PM - An officer comes and takes the information. We inform them that we had our mobile phones in the car and asked them to track them.
7:30 PM: The officer tells that the mobiles are on the move and the signal is showing that of pandavapura 50 Kms from the place it was stolen.
8-9:30 Pm After pestering them repeatedly, they update us about the movement of the car but don't do anything about it.
Finally, the mobiles are switched off at 10 PM near periapatna.

The next day the police demanded money to try and find the car. We asked them to find it first so that we can pay. Every year they call us to the station, ask questions demand money, and make us spend the entire day there. That was a day I personally lost all my hope about the system.

This is just sad. The institutional apathy and often, complicity breaks my heart. Someone told me once, "In this country either you got to be a politician or filthy rich to get heard. Other than that everyone else gets the short end of the stick."

P.S. Never get down to eat at anywhere other than reputed chain restaurants on the highway. Not even half-known dhabas.

[Sran]

Originally Posted by hserus

lf you live in a city it is only polite to make some effort to learn the local language instead of stick to your own language and expect that everybody will understand you.

It is simply not possible to keep on learning new languages everywhere one goes to work. We have so many languages that it is impossible. I have lived in many states for work and if this thought was found to be persistent I would have been forced to learn at the very least 6 more languages, other than the 3 and half I already know. There is not enough need to converse fluently in local language while working in corporate environment unless and until you are working with government officials or work as a liason officer. Most people grab only basic words of local language to fuction well in day to day life. Then there is not enough input from the post to conclude that the person who went to lodge an FIR was residing there for years, he may very well have landed last night and agitated that the new city was not as much delightful as he wished it to be. The mannerism of your comment aligns with language sectarians.

A350 of Indian constitution states that every person(not only citizen) can submit or redress grievances to union and states in any language used in union and state. Government agencies can not refuse to entertain a representation on language.

So it was the local police officer who was at fault and person who knew that police officer was making a fool of the person yet kept quiet.

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by stallmaster

This might be slightly off-topic, but I had a query.

How to DIY thief-proof your car? At least to a rudimentary level?

Originally Posted by Tojo_GotBhp

A gear lock from a reputed brand should be helpful. Even if someone manages to break open the glass, the lock should prevent the car from getting stolen.

Originally Posted by charanreddy

Same question. I am trying to figure out a way of putting a GPS tracking system but in a concealed manner , untraceable to the theives who I am sure know to look for these devices.

GPS cannot be relied on solely. I doubt it is even a deterrent anymore. Any GPS install is pretty easy to find and remove. After all most installs are at accessory shops and not DIY. So install locations are also pretty standard.

If the thieves carry something like a jammer, no signal will make it out of the car irrespective of where its hidden.

In today's world the only way to beat tech is to go low tech. Gear lock, steering lock, wheel lock, and maybe even a hidden kill switch somewhere.

Now that airbags are standard, it's a bit tricky but Mr.Bean's idea of carrying away the steering wheel was gold!!

[AseemYadav]

Originally Posted by Vijay T

Just now reading "A feast of vultures" by Josy Joseph talking about corruption & democracy in India.

He says till now (2016) till now not a single CBI enquiry into biggest arms scandals has concluded to & nailed any bribers or beneficiaries.
So doubt your wish will be fulfilled

A feast for vultures is compulsory reading for anybody remotely interested in the future of this country. A sharp rap on the knuckles for the overly optimistic, a man and his megalomania will soon make us a superpower, crowd. The last line reads- in the long run this country of ours must be getting somewhere, problem is in the long run, we will all be dead. A rollicking 120 page read. PM me for the pdf version. It would be better to buy it, as I did eventually. Every line reeks of how honest enterprise and the interest of the common man is killed by crony capitalism.

[COMMUTER]

Originally Posted by charanreddy

Same question. I am trying to figure out a way of putting a GPS tracking system but in a concealed manner , untraceable to the theives who I am sure know to look for these devices.

We can take a lead from the alternator,attach a charger and stow away multiple 12v bike batteries in the car. Multiple GPS devices can be attached in discreet places to keep track of the car. Care must be taken to avoid them getting discharged during regular use by charging them via a seperate charger. That there are devices in multiple spots will be necessary as the thief, usually an avid reader of all good forums, even after knowing about them will have to find it time-consuming to deactivate all of them thus get dissuaded from the misadventure.

[hserus]

Chase from where to where? Was the car in sight and being driven away as you stopped the police car?

Was an FIR filed? If so after three to six months depending on the car age, ask the police to close the case as they are unable to find it, and once you get the closure report, get your insurance money back. I am sure you already filed a claim when it was stolen?

Originally Posted by sunilg33

5:45 PM - We find a traffic police car on the way and tell the story. Our expectation: Guys get on to the car lets chase them

The next day the police demanded money to try and find the car. We asked them to find it first so that we can pay. Every year they call us to the station, ask questions demand money, and make us spend the entire day there. That was a day I personally lost all my hope about the system.

[sunilg33]

Originally Posted by hserus

Chase from where to where? Was the car in sight and being driven away as you stopped the police car?

We were informed by a guy near the restaurant that they spotted a yellow car going the opposite way and joining the highway towards Mysore. We informed the same to the cops. We expected them to at least call the other side station and put a checkpoint, spotting a yellow-colored car should have been relatively easy.

Originally Posted by hserus

Was an FIR filed? If so after three to six months depending on the car age, ask the police to close the case as they are unable to find it, and once you get the closure report, get your insurance money back. I am sure you already filed a claim when it was stolen?

Yes the FIR was filed. Bad luck that my friend only had third party insurance so we did not push for the closure. Also when we told them that the car was a Zen their interest further came down owing to the value of the car.

[car love]

Originally Posted by Sran

It is simply not possible to keep on learning new languages everywhere one goes to work. We have so many languages that it is impossible. I have lived in many states for work and if this thought was found to be persistent I would have been forced to learn at the very least 6 more languages, other than the 3 and half I already know. There is not enough need to converse fluently in local language while working in corporate environment unless and until you are working with government officials or work as a liason officer. Most people grab only basic words of local language to fuction well in day to day life. Then there is not enough input from the post to conclude that the person who went to lodge an FIR was residing there for years, he may very well have landed last night and agitated that the new city was not as much delightful as he wished it to be. The mannerism of your comment aligns with language sectarians.

A350 of Indian constitution states that every person(not only citizen) can submit or redress grievances to union and states in any language used in union and state. Government agencies can not refuse to entertain a representation on language.

So it was the local police officer who was at fault and person who knew that police officer was making a fool of the person yet kept quiet.

You definitely have a point and it is true that maybe i should have alerted the guy as to what was written in the FIR but frankly at that moment since i saw the whole thing right in front of my eyes, i can tell you he was not discriminated because of not knowing the local language but because of his rude/aggressive behavior for no good reason (the question of bribe had not come up then). It was like he was dictating terms to them. His body language, assertiveness etc was all improper and at that moment all present there felt he deserved what he got (including me) which in hindsight is not nice I agree.

[v1p3r]

Originally Posted by hserus

But how do you expect them to operate when treated rudely? OK he needn't ask for a bribe but other than that ..

If you live in a city it is only polite to make some effort to learn the local language instead of stick to your own language and expect that everybody will understand you.

I cannot comment on the subjective 'rude behaviour' of the person, but I can certainly tell you it's not ok for a government servant to hoodwink a tax-paying citizen. The fact that it is being condoned on this forum serves as a harsh reminder of the state of the country we live in.

Let me also remind you that if you live in Berlin and want to file a complaint, you are not discriminated against for not speaking German. This has been amply illustrated by Sam Kapasi's posts detailing his (father's) experiences.

Perhaps these are the reasons that we are where we are.

[AZT]

Originally Posted by DrCar

Few years back when my friend went to police station to lodge a complaint for his lost mobile phone

Off Topic but mobile theft on Mumbai local is very common. I was at this xerox 5 years back getting some binding done and within one hour three guys with phones stolen came to type out some template type application which you had to print and submit to the police. The Xerox guy told me they print out atleast 10 - 20 such stolen phone applications every day. This was just in one Xerox place next to Bandra station and all cases were someone taking your phone out your pocket right when the train is starting and then getting off.