Pioneer-DilliBilli-9th.Oct.2011-"THE COP-OUT EXPERIENCE"

"THE COP-OUT EXPERIENCE"


As it turns out, the police doesn't always help the aam aadmi.
It can be termed as one of the most horrifying, yet interesting, experiences. Recently, I visited a mall on the outskirts of Delhi. After looking around, I entered a small saree shop. It had great designs at reasonable prices. I bought one saree and walked out. Within minutes I realised that my mobile was missing. I immediately went back to the shop and created a fuss.

A young customer, who was still in the shop, had seen me talking over the phone when I was in the shop. Though he intervened, it took over an hour and much fretting, fuming and threats to call the police that the shop manager was able to find my mobile. The phone was switched off when I got it back. But I was elated that I had my phone back. I walked out of the shop once again and switched on the phone.

Much to my surprise it asked me to insert the SIM card. Thinking that the card had loosened, I opened the cover and took out the battery. Much to my horror I found that the SIM was missing. I went back to the shop and demanded that they tell me who had taken out the card. One reads how SIM cards are misused, so I called the mall security who was of no help at all.

I decided to call my daughter who called the cops and gave them the details of the shop. The young customer, who had helped me earlier, stepped in again. He called up my son and dialled 100 again. The incident happened around 5:30 pm and till 7:30 there was no sign of police. My son drove down from Defence Colony, but no cops.

I, of course, refused to leave the shop till I got my SIM back. When the shopkeepers realised that there was no way that I would leave, they pretended to look for the SIM. One of them bent down under a counter and came out with the SIM. “It must have fallen,” was the only explanation they gave.

Even though I was relieved, I was still angry that the cops had not paid any attention to the call made to them. What angered me even more was that the manager of the store was totally oblivious to my dilemma.

I walked out of the shop for the second time and called a top police officer. It was after this call that a police van came and took my statement.

The shop had four CCTV cameras but the footage is yet to be made available. It has been a week now. The much publicised slogan by the Delhi Police — With You, For You, Always — turned out to be such a farce.