Mumbai tech woman traces her stolen phone back in Varanasi, after police action delay

A  Mumbai based software engineer managed to trace her stolen phone herself after it was snatched at Assi Ghat in Varanasi,following an initial lack of action by the local police. The case later led to disciplinary action against a police officer for negligence.

The incident took place last week when Ankita Gupta, who lives in Ghatkopar, Mumbai, was visiting Varanasi with her family. While she was at the crowded Assi Ghat, an unknown person allegedly snatched her mobile phone and disappeared into the crowd.​

After the theft, Gupta filed a police complaint With the help of her friend and mobile tracking technology, she was able to trace the location of her phone to a house in Varanasi and shared the information with the police.

Acting on the tip-off,  police team conducted a raid at the location and recovered Gupta’s phone. During the search, the police also seized 12 other stolen mobile phones from the same premises.​

Following the recovery, Deputy Commissioner of police Gaurav Kumar ordered an internal inquiry. The investigation found negligence on the part of the in-charge of the Assi police outpost, who was subsequently suspended on January 4.