New Delhi: On Sept 21, 2024, Reema Kumari, then 43, felt as though her entire world had collapsed in a single day. Her husband had met with a devastating accident that resulted in the amputation of one of his legs, while her son had to be rushed to a hospital in Delhi's Jaffarpur Kalan after suffering a seizure. Amid the panic and rush inside the emergency ward, Kumari faced yet another blow when her mobile phone was allegedly stolen. The phone, lovingly bought for her by her daughters on monthly EMI payments, was not merely a device but her only lifeline at the time.
"The phone cover also had my debit card and Rs 5,000 cash. I was left stranded with no way to pay for my son's treatment," she said, her eyes brimming with tears as she tightly clutched the recovered phone she finally received nearly two years later under Operation Vishwas. Kumari was among the 12,600 people who got their stolen or lost phones back at an event organised on Tuesday across various districts of Delhi. The main function, held at North Campus, was attended by lieutenant governor T S Sandhu and police commissioner Satish Golchha.
For the recipients, the recovered phones represented far more than just gadgets. They carried memories, livelihoods, financial security, and, for some, a sense of relief and closure after deeply traumatic experiences. Among them was 51-year-old Anand Khatri, a property businessman from Bhalswa Dairy. Two years ago, he was travelling to Jaipur for work in the sweltering summer heat when he was allegedly attacked by a group of men who robbed him of both his car and phone. "The incident left me traumatised for a long time. Getting my phone back today feels like getting hope and faith back," he said.
The recovered mobile phones also symbolised livelihood and survival for many. Deepak Sharma, a 22-year-old resident of Rohini, works as a delivery executive and depends entirely on his phone for daily earnings. His phone was allegedly stolen by an autorickshaw driver after he met with an accident on Jan 25 that left him with a fractured shoulder. "As a delivery executive, I need my phone to earn. I had purchased an Rs 18,500 phone on EMI just a month before the incident," he said, pointing towards his shoulder, which is still healing. Sharma said after losing the device, he was forced to immediately buy another phone for work, leaving him burdened with the EMIs of two phones simultaneously. In the days following the incident, he also discovered that his stolen phone was allegedly being used by a woman who had accessed his social media accounts and was asking his friends for money. Police said tracing her eventually helped crack the case.
Also standing patiently in the queue was 17-year-old Aditya Garg, a Class XII student whose father, a chartered accountant, had his phone allegedly stolen by a pickpocket inside a bus in Gokalpuri nearly six months ago while returning from their village in Uttar Pradesh. "All his official contacts, work data and important documents were stored on the phone. Losing it had caused immense stress for our family," Aditya recalled. The event also saw the inauguration of a Traffic Exhibition Van, the launch of a safety guide booklet, and an exhibition showcasing the history of Delhi Police.
The operation, which spanned nearly two years, involved meticulous tracking and coordination by Delhi Police. Officers used advanced technology and manual investigation to trace the stolen devices. Many phones were found in different states, and some had been resold multiple times. The recovery process included verifying ownership through IMEI numbers, purchase receipts, and other documentation. Victims expressed gratitude for the police's efforts, noting that the return of their phones restored not only their property but also their trust in the system. The event highlighted the importance of such initiatives in addressing urban crime and providing closure to affected individuals.
