GRP makes registering mobile theft case a 10-minute task

The Government Railway Police (GRP) has made registering an offence of mobile theft a 10-minute job for Mumbai suburban rail commuters. All one needs to do is fill

The Government Railway Police (GRP) has made registering an offence of mobile theft a 10-minute job for Mumbai suburban rail commuters. All one needs to do is fill in a one-page form detailing personal information, details of the theft, and the complainant’s signature, which will then be registered as a first information report (FIR).

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Earlier, commuters had to wait for more than two to three hours to register an FIR in cases of mobile theft. However, from February 1, the process has been simplified, with GRP commissioner Ravindra Sengaonkar directing all 17 GRP police stations to adhere to the one-page format to register offences under sections 379 (punishment for theft) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

“Last month I visited many police stations and found commuters were waiting desperately to lodge an FIR. For a city like Mumbai, time is valuable. People are rushing to reach their offices, colleges or other institutions and do not have the time to wait for an FIR to be registered. I saw that some people had to take leave from work to file their complaints, which prompted this method,” said Sengaonkar.

“Without making any changes in the law, I decided to prepare a format of FIR related to mobile theft. By using this format, the FIR can be registered within 10 minutes. Since February 1 we have been able to register 63 FIRs,” Sengaonkar said.

According to the GRP, 24,010 phone theft cases were registered in 2019. In 2018, 32,476 cases were registered.