In April 2007, I was back to my posting station Mumbai from a
long outing to a closed city somewhere near the North Pole. The chilled
out trip from -20 to the windy and pleasant Mumbai was great and I was
looking forward to catch up on the lost time with family. Just before I
had left Mumbai, I had bought a second hand Sony Ericcson Mobile phone.
This was my first Camera Phone and could do emails too. However, I
realized that its battery was not holding for a longer duration and so I
bought a trusted new Nokia with a Camera and Email capability and left
the Sony Ericcson with my better half at Mumbai. On my return to Mumbai
all was checked correct.
My in- Laws had reached Mumbai before I left for Mumbai to be with my
family and there were a few medical issues which we were grappling with
for my Mom-in-Law. On my return to Mumbai, we went to Khar to meet a
faith healer by the name of Munir Khan to take a medicine from him. The
meeting with Munir Khan was pleasant and we came out happy. We thought
of enjoying a family lunch at a local restaurant in Khar as it was lunch
time. We entered a restaurant and ordered our lunch and some beer. A
few college boys were sitting on an adjoining table and were having a
smoke inside the AC premises. I just walked up to them and requested
them to stop smoking as my Mom-in-Law was not feeling quite well. The
boys obliged smilingly and as a gesture of thanks, I gifted them with a
Cigar which I had brought from my foreign trip. We had our lunch and set
off for Colaba- Navy Nagar.
Within first 5 minutes of the drive, my Brother-in-Law who was holding
the Sony phone realized that the phone has been left behind at the
hotel. I turned the car around and reached the restaurant. The manager
completely denied that we had left the phone behind and so did the staff
which had served us. He offered to help us and sent a boy to trace the
students (they were regulars in that place). This help also came back
empty handed. I spoke to a Navy Police Officer who was handling the
security of a Navy establishment at Malad and even he said that it was a
gone case. Leaving my contact details with the Manager, we set off for
Colaba. At Mahim, I gave a call on the Sony Mobile and the bell rang but
no one answered the phone. At the red light, I sent in a sms to the
number and requested for posting the Sim number on my address as it
contained vital contact informations. The sms was delivered. Soon the
phone got switched off and no contact was possible.
The loss of a Mobile is distressing and the information it
carries along with it can be a colossal loss. I got up early the next
day (Sunday) and rang the number. The phone was switched off. I got
ready and went to the Colaba Police Stn to register a FIR. With the copy
of FIR, I went to collect a new SIM from the phone provider's office.
Seeing my Navy Sea Cap, the agent offered me a seat and in the course of
discussions he stated that his father too had worked for the Indian
Navy. I told him about the loss of phone and that I could ring the bell
and deliver a sms before the phone went dead. He said he could help and
soon came with the call records of the last day. It was a eureka moment
as now I had 04 Mobile numbers which were dialed from the phone when it
was lost. Bravo, I complimented the agent and thanked the Indian Navy.
I got back to my home and dialed the first number. The call
went to a carpenter from UP in Ooty. He feigned ignorance about whom he
had spoken to from my number. The next call was not answered as the
phone was switched off. The third call went to a Taxi Driver in Bhandup
and he out-rightly told me to do whatever I could but I will not get the
phone back. Decency is not a good trait especially when you are
separated by air waves. My mind changed the tack and the actor inside me
took over the next call. My Father-in- Law was interestingly watching
my actions. The next call went to another carpenter in Bandra and I
latched on. I introduced myself as ACP Shinde from Khar Police Station
and promised that if the phone was not returned then I would have to be
really strict in my actions and round up the Carpenter and his
family/room mates. I thundered that you have stolen the phone of a
important politician from the local set up and it was his son's phone. I
added that I am about to retire and the phone should be returned
otherwise the 3rd degree methods would have to be adopted. The carpenter
on the other side of the phone was by now in his elements and
challenged my claims. Raising my voice, I shouted in Marathi," Eh
Ganpatla, Gaadi nikal, inka kholi mein jaao aur round up kar ke abhisch
lao." My Father-in-Law was zapped at the change of my voice. The
Carpenter was now on the receiving side. I told him that his position
has been marked through this call and he cannot escape the long hands of
ACP Shinde.
He said, he needed time and I gave him 20 minutes to give me a call
back. I opened my Beer and we waited. At the stroke of the 15th minute
my mobile rang and it was the Carpenter on the other side. He said that
the person who had picked up my phone was dead scared and had lost the
SIM Card which was thrown into Khar sea. They were willing to return the
hand set and wanted my team to pick it up from an abandoned pipe line
behind a Bandra hospital. Now it was my turn to get lost as I was not
very well aware of the Mumbai geography and surely this hospital was
nowhere in my horizon. I just memorized the details and we agreed to
meet at 1600 hrs to pick the phone. In return the Carpenter pleaded that
they should not be touched to which I reluctantly agreed in-spite of
the fact that they had lost the SIM and the local politician would not
be very amused by the fact.
Next I called my Navy Police friend and he was aghast that a phone was
on its way to recovery. His men knew the area and he sent his team to
pick the phone. The team came back with the phone from the abandoned
pipe line behind the hospital. The phone was intact but of course with
the SIM Card missing. It was a miraculous retrieval and my Father-in-Law
still enacts the act of ACP Shinde and Havaldar Ganpat Kamble.
Today we are privileged to have phones with Trackers and pass words.
Keep the password switched on and make it as robust as possible. Always
activate the tracker as any change of SIM would be immediately reported
on the alternate mobile number. The smart phone can even be made dead
using remote internet techniques. We are moving towards an over-cautious
but secured connections world. The data syncing keeps the contacts on a
cloud data base and even a lost phone data can be instantly recovered
by another smart phone. Of course, only the pocket feels a bit lighter.
It is also true that one man's delight becomes another man's security
concern as free App services communicate free bytes instantly. These
services are meant to connect us. Can we stop someone from sending a
data? Can we stop our habit of forwarding from our devices? Its now an
itch and the fingers feel stiff if we do not forward a few things in a
day. All that we must ensure is- Live and Let Live. Indians are the
second largest population on this planet and even if some one decides to
snoop on all our acts then he has to invest a lot of currency and also
employ highly trained manpower. Do they have such resources? All that we
must ensure is a secured connection. Keep life simple. Read and watch
what we get and forward we must what is relevant. A vibrant and chirping
India on smart connections is the new Psyops avatar for snooping
enemies. So keep texting and keep smiling. After all, you need to
connect with people, your children, your spouse, your relatives it you
have to survive in these "Link Up" times.
