Amid row, Bengaluru top cop rules out random checks of local residents’ phones

Bengaluru police commissioner statements come following complaints on social media that policemen were conducting random checks where they asked people to give them access to their mobile phones

Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant on Monday said that policemen in the city will not search anyone’s phones without the required paperwork.

Bengaluru police commissioner said action would be taken against policemen found checking phones, and the identity of those raising a complaint would be kept confidential. (Arunkumar Rao)

The statements come following complaints on social media that policemen were conducting random checks where they asked people to give them access to their mobile phones. Several complaints were raised on Twitter and other social media platforms over the last week.

“@BlrCityPolice (Bengaluru city police) strictly prohibits any Policeman from checking the mobile phone of any citizen under any pretext. If there is any such incident, please intimate 112 or inform the Commissioner of Police at 080-22942215,” Pant said in an official tweet.

He added that action would be taken against policemen found violating the order, and the identity of those raising a complaint would be kept confidential. The police commissioner said that in the event of such an incident occurring, citizens can submit the location and time of the incident, the three-digit Hoysala number and the vehicle number.

Meanwhile, a senior police officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that incidents of phone checking were reported since there was a special drive against drug dealers, and phones of those found suspicious were checked. The officer added that with the new orders from the city police chief, the drive has been suspended.