How far would you go to save your phone?

This 20-yr-old jumped off a moving train at Dadar and chased down a thief who had swiped her BlackBerry

This 20-yr-old jumped off a moving train at Dadar and chased down a thief who had swiped her BlackBerry

Losing a mobile phone is a painful and yet common occurrence. But 20-year-old Bhavya Pandit wasn't willing to take it lying down.

Bhavya Pandit chased after the thief, shouting as she did so to draw the attention of passers-by. She sustained minor bruises after she jumped off the train

At around 3 pm on Thursday, The Wilson College student jumped off a moving train at Dadar station to catch a thief who had snatched her BlackBerry.

"By then the train had picked up speed. But I didn't want to lose my phone. Without thinking twice I jumped onto the platform and immediately ran after him," said Bhavya, who received minor bruises on her hands.

Cut to the chase
She couldn't see the face of the thief, but only caught a glimpse of his shirt and started running after him. At the same time she screamed so as to alert other commuters, many of whom had by now joined the chase.
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"I was in the midst of arranging details for my music event and coordinating with people over SMSes when this incident occurred," added Bhavya, who was heading to Carter Road, Bandra for her music gig.

Meanwhile, the thief had entered the narrow lanes of Dadar flower market. But he couldn't escape the eyes of the girl as the flower vendors kept directing her in the right direction. Soon Bhavya entered a small alley and she saw the snatcher go into a room.

"I hadn't seen his face but recognised him by his multi-print shirt and asked him to give my phone back. Initially he feigned ignorance, but soon the mob that was also following him, entered the room," added Bhavya.
The people then threatened the thief and demanded to check his pockets.

They recovered the BlackBerry and gave him a sound thrashing, before handing him over to the railway police. Bhavya was then asked to accompany the cops to the railway police station at Dadar, from where they went to the Mumbai Central GRP station.
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"I was getting really late for the event, so I left the police station after writing a note about the incident. I will definitely lodge a complaint with the railway police," added Bhavya, who wants to ensure the thief gets his just rewards.

"We are waiting for the girl to lodge a complaint," said Shivaji Shinde, GRP inspector from Mumbai Central. The alleged miscreant has been allowed to go as no official complaint had been filed till last night.

Would you do the same if your phone was stolen? Tell us at feedback@mid-day.com