[RohanMahantesh]

Hello Everyone

TL;DR

I was on my bicycle on the way to work, when two thieves on a bike snatched my phone from my backpack. This incident was recorded on a GoPro, using which the vehicle number and the images of the thieves were obtained. With the help of my colleague, a fellow TeamBHPian, and a thread on the forum, we were able to obtain the information of the vehicle owner. The owner was contacted, who had lent his bike to a supposed friend when the incident occurred. The vehicle owner cooperated with the police and helped them track down the thieves. The phone was retrieved back in less than 24 Hours! The complete incident is shown in the footage attached.

Before I Narrate the Incident, I Request You All to Watch the Video attached

Video

To start, I am a final-year engineering student from Bangalore. Apart from my love for automobiles, I have a keen interest in photography. This led to me purchasing various camera gear and having read several posts on the forum about the importance of a dashcam in one's car and having been involved in several incidents before, I made it a point to record even the short rides on two-wheeler and bicycle on my GoPro (This was the first thing I bought off of my first stipend at my internship! Best purchase ever!).

I also realised that I could upload the footage on YouTube under the POV (Point of View) Driving category, which gave me another reason to drive all the vehicles at home with a GoPro mounted onto me . Oh, and if you are wondering, no I do not intend on making any money off of it on YouTube, it's just for the sheer pleasure of recording the drives, and looking back at it a few years down the lane to relive the moments, the traffic, the roads and the surroundings.

The firm that I am interning at, is about 6km from my residence, as a result of which I utilise a scooter or my bicycle to commute.

It was about 10:30 am on the 15th of March 2024, when I was on the way to the office on my bicycle. The railway crossing on the way was shut, as a result of which, I took out the phone from my bag and started scrolling. The next thing I knew, the railway crossing was open, and I had to hurry, as a result of which I ended up keeping my phone in the bottle holder of my backpack (A Stupid and Silly Mistake ).

As I was crossing the railway track (I was pushing the cycle, rather than riding it to not lose balance), a guy in a blue bike overtook me from the extreme left, which was very suspicious to me at first, but I didn't bother about it, thinking it was normal.

After crossing the railway track, I hopped onto my bicycle and started riding it. Amidst this, the guy in the blue bike picked up another person. This seemed completely normal. I didn't think much about the stares that they gave me, as it is very common to have a lot of people look at you driving with a GoPro attached to your head or chest.

I was on the extreme left lane of the road, and about 100m later, out of nowhere, the two people on the blue bike overtook me from the left side (A lot of things could have gone wrong during all of this!) the pillion (The guy he had just picked up) took the phone out of the bottle holder of my backpack and before I could realise it, it was too late!

I was terrified and almost froze! This was the first time that I had encountered a situation as such. I sped up (on the bicycle!) and tried looking for their bike, but realised that it was already too late and there was no way I could catch up with the thieves. The first thing I had to do, no matter what, was to track/erase data/log out of the phone and I rushed home.

Using the other device at home, I couldn't track it, as they had switched off the phone. I ended up signing out of all my accounts and erasing all the data from the phone (All of the data was backed up). I was concerned about my sim, as without it it would be impossible to call people, receive SMS or make payments. I extracted all the footage from the GoPro and saved it for reference to note down the vehicle number and the images of the thieves.

I immediately called up my colleague and told him about the incident, and that I would be late to the office as I had to visit the nearest police station. He asked me to calm down and offered to accompany me to the police station. We reached the Gangamma Gudi Police Station (Abbigere) and filed an e-lost complaint on the Karnataka State Police app with all the required details of the phone, This generated a lost e-report for the phone, using which I could obtain the duplicate SIM. Parallely, I blocked the IMEI number using the CEIR Webiste.

I met the officers at the police station and made it a point to show them the footage captured, which they gladly circulated among the various WhatsApp groups of which they were part. The police asked us to be rest assured and that they would get in touch with us in case of any updates.

My colleague, tried to gather information about the owner of the vehicle using mParivahan, but we couldn't get much information. We then got back to the office and went about our day. 20 minutes into the office, my colleague, remembered coming across the Karnataka PUC Website and the loopholes it had in this thread (Step-by-Step guide to checking PUC Certificate in Karnataka). We obtained the information of the owner and obtained his phone number using the same. My colleague immediately called the owner and cooked up an excuse to have him meet us at the police station.

The owner of the vehicle was a person who was working in the Armed Forces and was worried about the consequences of having a police case against him. We met up at the police station, where we explained what happened. He had lent his bike to a friend that morning, and he immediately recognised the people from the footage. He cooperated with the police and provided them with the contact information and address of the thieves.

The police were able to catch hold of one of the thieves (In Blue Shirt) on the very same day, and he accepted the theft, but did not have any information about the phone. It was about 8 pm and we were assured of getting the phone back.

The next morning, at about 11 am, the police contacted me asking us to visit the police station. Me and my colleague visited the police station, and we were handed over the phone by the officer. He narrated the incident as to how the second thief was caught in the wee hours of midnight. The thieves had thrown the SIM card away. The police gave the thieves a taste of their medicine (you know what I am referring to). I immediately unblocked the IMEI.

Thank You TeamBHP and Bengaluru Police for helping me retrieve my phone!

I regretted the absolutely silly mistake of mine which led to all of this, but I am happy that GoPro and TeamBHP helped me retrieve the phone back. I urge all of you to please keep your belongings safe when in public. I learnt my lesson the hard way. Hope this was helpful to everyone out there!

Cheers!

[null]

Interesting. Glad that you got your phone back.

Couple of questions. Was any money involved? (I believe you understand what I am asking). What happened to the two thieves?

[NB_4763]

Originally Posted by null

Interesting. Glad that you got your phone back.

Couple of questions. Was any money involved? (I believe you understand what I am asking). What happened to the two thieves?

From the beginning, we informed the police officer that we were recent college graduates who had just started working. We also disclosed that we had confidential data that could cause trouble if leaked. We did not offer any money, and the officer simply handed us the phone and took a picture of us receiving it.

At first, After presenting the GoPro footage to the police officers, we noticed that a few of them recognized the man in the blue shirt and signaled the senior officer discreetly. This made us believe that the police were already familiar with him. When the phone was handed over to us, the senior officer informed us that they had taught the thief a lesson and he would think twice before committing another crime

[handsofsteel]

The way things are going, what could one have done had they accosted you and made away with the camera itself? I guess they did not realise that the camera is more expensive (probably?) than the phone.

[RohanMahantesh]

Originally Posted by handsofsteel

The way things are going, what could one have done had they accosted you and made away with the camera itself? I guess they did not realise that the camera is more expensive (probably?) than the phone.

Oh yes, you are absolutely right! A lot of things could have gone wrong whilst the theft was taking place. I could have tripped off my bicycle or they could have rammed into the pole during the risky manoeuvre, or worse they could have pushed me off the road. This would have been nasty.

The neighbourhood where the incident took place is a main road, which had quite a crowd, and there were other passersby trying to cross the railway track, so accosting would be the last resort for them. The GoPro was mounted to the chest using the usual mounts, which would have been very difficult for them to steal it. Since both of my arms were on the handlebar, it would have been quite difficult for them to spot the camera

Oh yes, the camera, as it turns out, is more expensive than the phone itself. This silly mistake of mine could have costed me a lot. But, this incident is a reminder to everyone to keep their belongings safe and be very vigilant in shady neighbourhoods.

[raptor_diwan]

Glad to hear that you've got your mobile back. It seems the video played a crucial role. I wonder if the police in that area would have acted similarly if there hadn't been any footage available or address provided by you.

A similar incident occurred with my dad a year ago in Chennai. It happened on the main road near a traffic signal, where multiple cameras are installed. We lodged a complaint, but it wasn't taken seriously. After two days, they called us to the station and suggested we withdraw the complaint if we wanted our phone back in next two days. They didn't bother to check the camera footage. They presented us with a demand: either drop the complaint and retrieve the phone or pursue the case and risk getting nothing. Frustrated with the attitude of them, we chose to cancel the complaint in the hope of retrieving the phone, but nothing came of it. They didn't contact us afterward, and when we reached out to them, they asked us to come later, which continued repeatedly, so we eventually gave up. We've heard of similar incidents happening in the same area afterwards, with no actions taken.

[mac187]

Glad to hear the ordeal was resolved so soon. Kudos to the cops for acting swiftly and without any bribes.

OP, please do post this on your social. Avoid showing the culprits faces/ vehicle number. Please highlight the great work done by the cops.

People post negative stories of the cops immediately. Their good work should be highlighted in the same way.

[AZT]

Originally Posted by NB_4763

At first, After presenting the GoPro footage to the police officers, we noticed that a few of them recognized the man in the blue shirt and signaled the senior officer discreetly. This made us believe that the police were already familiar with him.

A long time back a friend had told me the cops are aware of every hash/weed peddler and for mobile thefts they know where the phones land up and the regular offenders. They get a cut and are fine as long as no one makes any noise (someone important involved, media reporting, etc.).

In Bombay, next to Bandra station there are a bunch of stationery/cyber cafe's mainly for printing college projects and doing typing etc. I was there for an hour and in front of me 4 people came in, said they had their phone stolen and the place already had a format typed up where all you needed to change was the name, IMEI number, and phone model. I asked one of the store workers and he said they get probably 30 - 50 people coming in every day for this phone theft template.

This was a while back but there's no way cops aren't aware of who's stealing and where these phones are sold.

[am1m]

Well, I'm happy two 'old-guy' beliefs I've had have taken a beating.

One, I always wonder why 'this generation' needs to "film everything". Turns out it was a good thing you did that! Two, the "cops won't bother" with something this small. Glad to hear they did help and get your phone back!

Quick thinking (and great video editing skills!), and heartening to see the system works as it should. Thanks for sharing!

[arnav17]

Originally Posted by NB_4763

This made us believe that the police were already familiar with him. When the phone was handed over to us, the senior officer informed us that they had taught the thief a lesson and he would think twice before committing another crime

Would like to narrate a similar incident.

In the 1990's, my Uncle took his CD100 to work everyday and parked it in the same spot in the street always. One day, he reaches office, parks it as usual and proceeds with his routine of work. Imagine his shock when he comes out in the afternoon only to see his bike missing!

He immediately called his younger brother (my dad) who went there on a vehicle and immediately went to a nearby police station to report the crime. The policemen just asked for the nature of complaint, and when he was told that it was a vehicle theft, he just promptly turned to another policeman and said " Lo aa razaq matte shuru hachkondidane, kari avananna" (that Razaq has started stealing again, call him)

Within minutes, the said accused was brought in front of them and they slapped him and asked him where the vehicle was. The man burst into tears and told them it was parked behind some shop, all to the astonishment of my uncle and father.

The police know who does what. This too is definitely a sure case as they would have met the same guy multiple times on multiple encounters and released him repeatedly.

[PRND1.5L]

Originally Posted by raptor_diwan

Glad to hear that you've got your mobile back. It seems the video played a crucial role. I wonder if the police in that area would have acted similarly if there hadn't been any footage available or address provided by you.

A friend who works in the IPS TN Cadre told me that local PS constables have a list of all the known crooks nearby and go there to take a cut every month in return for not taking any action. Bonus when it is election times and these crooks are seen in the groups following politicians which makes them more lucrative for the Constable's monthly contributions.

[raptor_diwan]

Originally Posted by PRND1.5L

A friend who works in the IPS TN Cadre told me that local PS constables have a list of all the known crooks nearby and go there to take a cut every month in return for not taking any action. Bonus when it is election times and these crooks are seen in the groups following politicians which makes them more lucrative for the Constable's monthly contributions.

Yeah, I've heard that too. Apparently, they also get a commission if things go smoothly. And whenever they feel like it, they can randomly catch them too. I remember seeing a video a while back where the crook himself mentioned that the local inspector in the area set his target for number of bikes to steal while people were beating him up.

[silverado]

Originally Posted by RohanMahantesh

Hello Everyone

TL;DR

I was on my bicycle on the way to work, when two thieves on a bike snatched my phone from my backpack.

I am a cyclist and my phone is vulnerable to theft if left out of vision, so i have always used a frame bag. Also i have invested in a GPS watch so that i dont have to rely on phone for my ride tracking.( This allows me to keep my phone securly inside bag during heavy rains )

Your post was a good education on what to do when a phone is lost.
Its good to keep a offline track of your IMEI number so that you can block it.

Cheers

[dushyantbangal]

Originally Posted by am1m

Well, I'm happy two 'old-guy' beliefs I've had have taken a beating.

One, I always wonder why 'this generation' needs to "film everything". Turns out it was a good thing you did that! Two, the "cops won't bother" with something this small. Glad to hear they did help and get your phone back!

Quick thinking (and great video editing skills!), and heartening to see the system works as it should. Thanks for sharing!

You were right about the "cops won't bother" part though. He gave them the vehicle's number. They could've found out the owner's details in 2 minutes. Yet he himself had to go around, find the vehicle owner's details, and cook up a story to get them to meet.

[Fr0nx23]

Originally Posted by RohanMahantesh

I made it a point to record even the short rides on two-wheeler and bicycle on my GoPro (This was the first thing I bought off of my first stipend at my internship! Best purchase ever!).

Very interesting to read your post Rohan and thanks for sharing the incident. Where did you mount your gopro? is it on your helmet ? Can you share pics of your setup?