Title - Costly cellphones prize catch for thieves on local trains

An increasing number of expensive mobile phones stolen from Mumbai's local trains are being sold outside city limits for a mere Rs 4,000-Rs 5,000, say Government Railway Police (GRP) officials. Moreover, the thieves are now aware of the tracking system, which the police use to recover stolen phones.An average of three mobile phones were reported stolen every day on Mumbai locals this year, with 66 per cent cases on Central Railway (CR) and the rest on Western Railway (WR), according to annual GRP figures. Such thefts have been on the rise in the last four years on the suburban railway system, which handles over 75 lakh passengers daily.According to police, around 80 per cent of all mobile phone thefts are reported on trains. Detection rate has been on a decline, with an average of 72 per cent detection reported by GRP since 2010. In 2010, the detection rate was 76 per cent, which dipped to 64 in 2013.Shivaji Dhumal, senior inspector, Kurla GRP, said: "Earlier, phones were traced with the help of the international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) number. Over the last two years, however, thieves have realised that inserting a new SIM into the stolen handset makes it easier for police to catch them. Lately, they have been selling stolen phones in flea markets within the city as well as outside. Most of the stolen phones, which cost over Rs 30,000 make it to flea markets in Kolkata, Indore, Surat and Ahmedabad.""The lack of assistance from telecom service providers makes the recovery process even longer. Telecom companies only provide call details of the new SIM that has been inserted in a stolen phone. Details like names and addresses are not provided," he said.IMEI number is increasingly being used by the police to trace stolen handsets. Cops, however, claimed that in some of the new smartphones, even the IMEI number was wiped out.Jitendra Rathod, senior inspector, Wadala GRP, said: "Most of the thefts occur during boarding or alighting because commuters are in a hurry and do not pay attention to their belongings."

The Wadala GRP, extending from Sandhurst Road to Govandi, have registered the maximum number of phone thefts on Harbour line since 2010. The Kurla GRP, which extends from Kurla to Mulund, registered 15 per cent of the total cases in 2011, 18 per cent in 2012 and 22 per cent in 2013. The Thane GRP, extending from Thane to Diwa, has the second highest number of cases in 2012 and 2013, with 14 per cent and 12 per cent cases respectively. The third highest number, which is 10 per cent of the total cases, was reported by Borivali GRP, which extends from Malad to Dahisar, in 2012 and 2013.

"Around five lakh passengers travel from Borivali daily. Apart from being a busy section that accounts for a large number of phone thefts on the western line, the GRP station at Borivali is located inside the station, making it accessible to commuters. At locations such as Andheri and Goregaon, the GRP stations are located outside," said S D Bagal, senior inspector.