Fishy business and a stolen smartphone

Ican’t think of any device or invention that has transformed our lives in the last three decades as much as the ubiquitous cell phone. It has become virtually indispensable. A fairly expensive instrument in its early days, within the reach of only the affluent, it is now so cheap that even the working classes can afford it. In India over a billion cell phones are in use, almost the entire population of the country!

The “smart” phone is the real force behind social media which has acquired such a potent influence, for good and bad, worldwide. But this column is not about how the cell phone has impacted us. It is about how I lost my latest cell phone, and the questions the loss posed me.

I often go to Mumbai’s Sassoon Docks, quite close to my residence, when I need fresh fish and prawns for a party. From their boats and trawlers, the fishermen unload their catch on the docks, where it is auctioned. The bidders are mainly women who sell it to customers like me, or take it by truck or taxi to the interior of the city. The place is noisy and crowded, but filled with colour and hustle-bustle. I had my cell phone in my back-pocket. When I got home, it was not there. Had it slipped out of my pocket while in the car? No. I had obviously been pick-pocketed.

When I went back to the docks, I was told that several others also had their phones stolen. Clearly, a gang of thieves were opearting there that morning. For such eventualities, the closest police station is where you need to lodge what is called a “First Information Report” (FIR). Which is what I did. It is a rather labourious task, entailing considerable paperwork. Another person was there who had also lost his cell at exactly the same place. From the bored demeanour of the policeman who was listening to us and taking down our FIRs, I could tell such complaints were commonplace. Though I am technologically challenged in matters involving computers and smart phone, at least I knew that the use of a stolen phone could be blocked by the police if you had its IMEI number (don’t ask me what the initials stand for). Fortunately, I had taken this precaution and gave the policeman that number.

So, how does one feel on losing a cell phone? Totally helpless and vulnerable. So dependent have we become on this infernal gadget

What now? I asked him. He explained that my complaint would go to the police cyber cell, where they can track the usage of cell phones. Which means that if my phone is misused, the police will know the exact location from where the call is being made and zero in on it, thereby restoring it to me? A wry smile was his answer, nothing else. That same day, I went to the store from where I had bought the cell phone. They were more revealing and frank about lost or stolen cell phones. They said that once the number was blocked, the phone could not be used by anybody. If the thief did so, he was in danger of giving himself away. Only very amateur thieves would steal a smart cell phone and then try to use it. And judging by how and where my phone (along with others) was stolen, the thieves were clearly professionals.

So, if the phone was not useable, what value did it have for the thieves? The surprising answer: They would “cannibalise” it! In other words, break it up and sell different parts of the phone, such as the battery, on the grey market, for which they might get a few thousand rupees.

I made some other enquiries and found that in most Western countries, thefts of cell phones are rare, since they can now be traced by the police when misused. So, it is not worth the risk. And thieves in those countries are not interested in any “cannibalising” business, which only seems to interest Indian — and probably Pakistani and Bangladeshi — thieves. Yet, in India, hundreds of cell phones are being stolen every day.

So, how does one feel on losing a cell phone? Totally helpless and vulnerable. So dependent have we become on this infernal gadget. But my main concern was all the phone numbers and data, including photos, that I had lost, for good. I had not bothered to back them up with the “cloud” application.

What happened to my police complaint, made three months ago? Nothing. The Indian police may be good at tracing big-time criminals by tracking their cell phones — at least in Bollywood films and TV serials — but they can’t really be bothered about an ordinary citizen foolish enough to go to crowded places with his cell phone perched enticingly in his back pocket!

Rahul Singh is former Editor of Khaleej Times