Rs 3 Cr 72 Lakh Recovered Valuables Displayed by City Police during Property Return Programme- In 2018 Rs 4 Cr 30 Lakh worth valuables ( vehicles/Jewellery/electronic items etc) were stolen, out of which Rs 3 Cr 50 Lakh worth items were recovered; from January 2019 till date, Rs 65 lakhs worth valuables were stolen, of which Rs 32 lakh worth items were recovered.
Mangaluru: The city police, led by Police Commissioner Sandeep Patil, along with DCP’s Laxmi Ganesh and Hanumanthrayya, and other police personnel on Friday, 26 April 2019 returned valuables worth Rs 3 Cr 72 lakh recovered by the cops between January 2018 till April 2019 to citizens at the Property Return programme held at Nehru Maidan. Police returned a bunch of items, including jewelry, vehicles, electronic items/mobile phones etc of hundreds of complaints, some of whom have been hoping to get their valuables back since 2018. Most of the items were taken away during thefts, chain snatching or robberies. In regular cases, if police have recovered any stolen valuables, the owner of the items will have to go through legal and administrative processes to get these back.
DCP Hanumanthrayya welcomed the gathering, followed by address by Police Commissioner where he said, “The city police have done a great job in recovering nearly Rs 3 Crore 72 lakh worth of valuables stolen between 2018 till date, and today will be doing all the work to give the stolen items back to citizens. People buy or own these items through their hard-earned money. When we return their items, they fell very happy. Imagine gold stolen on a wedding day, it would be a terrible thing, but it has happened. And our police personnel through their dedicated efforts and techniques have been successful in recovering jewelry in such cases, thereby making the family happy. I know some items have sentimental value more than the cost, but for the thieves, it is a different story. Transparency in the police department has played an important role in recovering the valuables. Also through the latest technology, cyber crime force, and through communication through Twitter, Whatsapp, Facebook, Internet, etc it has been easy to apprehend the culprits”.
“We are also trying to introduce people-friendly policing, which will help the relationship between police and citizens on a long run. I urge citizens to install CCTV’s or other security devices in their homes/offices, which benefit a lot in catching the culprits on the basis of CCTV footage. We are also cracking down hard on drug dealers who are making the youngsters addicted to drugs and ganja. We have been successful in nabbing many drug dealers, and we are in the process to break down the drug smuggling chain. While the police will do their job by catching the culprits, but even the citizens need to be more pro-active. I would also like to commend all the police personnel for their excellent efforts in catching the culprits and recovering the items to the best of their abilities, and they will be recognized with mementos and certificates during this programme here” added PC Sandeep Patil.
A bunch of citizens were handed over the keys of their respective vehicles which were recovered, also recovered jewelry and other items to the owners by police commissioner Sandeep Patil along with DCP’s DCP’s Laxmi Ganesh and Hanumanthrayya- and we could see the happy faces when these citizens received their lost valuables. Few of the police personnel were presented with mementos and certificates for their hard work and dedication in recovering the items by the police commissioner. DCP Laxmi Ganesh proposed the vote of thanks.
“The intention is to return stolen properties to victims after we seize them from the accused. Once the case is over or the court orders return of the seized property, we hand over valuables to complainants. It also enhances a person’s confidence in the police,” said DCP Laxmi Ganesh speaking to Team Mangalorean. Several citizens shared their experiences and thanked the police department for their pro-active approach while interacting with Team Mangalorean. A woman, Laxmi (name changed) who fell prey to chain snatching in 2018, said, “Within 10 days of getting a job in 2018, my Mangalsutra was snatched at Panambur. I am thankful to the police department for catching the thieves and returning my mangalsutra today, which is a very sentimental item for me.”
Yet another couple of Jewellery theft, Victor and Celine Correa from Derebail, Mangaluru narrating their incident to Team Mangalorean said, “On 27 January 2018, we had locked the house and been to Chikamagaluru to attend a funeral. When we got home we noticed the cupboard broken into, and jewelry worth nearly Rs 15 lakhs stolen. After the police investigation, it was found that one of our neighbour lady, who was an orphan, whom we had helped her a lot financially was the culprit. Her name is Latha Maria Lasrado and now married. Out of Rs 15 lakh worth gold which she stole, we got back only Rs 6 lakh worth of jewelry, but I am happy that I got back my diamond necklace. Even though she is out on bail now, I would like the judge/law enforcement people to give her the best punishment so that she won’t steal again. We are very much hurt that a person whom we helped and cared for did such harm to us”.
Yet another young lady by the name of Amitha Ramesh Poojary ( a project manager at Diya Systems, Mangaluru, and her husband Ramesh Poojary, works in Gulf) speaking to Team Mangalorean about the theft that took place at her home in Surathkal said, “It was 23 December 2018-me, my two kids and my mother were asleep, but my husband was out visiting his friend’s place. When he got back home, he locked the front door, but in a hurry had left the keys in the door keyhole, and he went to sleep. Around the wee hours of 3 am, two men hailing from Chikamagaluru trying to open the window latch using tools, reaching their hands through the window were able to get the door keys- and after which they entered the house”.
“They walked back and forth inside the house and finally found the cupboard where he had the valuables. Usually, when there is a slight noise, my mother or I wake up, but on that day we didn’t. The thieves were able to steal 25 Pawan gold worth Rs 6.5 lakhs, and also stole Rs 26,000 which was saved by my kids in their piggy bank. Before exiting the house, both the men tried to wipe out the fingerprints. When we woke in the morning we noticed we were robbed, and we lodged a complaint. Luckily, with the help of CCTV footage, the police were able to apprehend one of the culprits, who happened to a 64-year-old man, and his trademark is , he always wears a striped T-shirt. But his partner, the 35-year-old man is yet to be traced, who used to live in Katipalla and sell tamarind from his two-wheeler. That’s how they were familiar with the area”, added Amitha.
While concluding she said, “Out of 25 pawan gold, I got back only 90 gms, worth around Rs 1 lakh or so, but my kids savings was not returned since the stolen valuables were divided by these two men. Luckily I got back my mangalasutra, a sentimental item, but I am sad that the gold bangles that I purchased from my hard earned money were gone. My husband lost his bracelet and personal valuables. I would suggest people install a CCTV or security devices in their homes, it helps as it did to us. But you can’t fully rely on CCTV, because many thieves are aware of these devices, so precautions and care should be taken as to where you keep your valuables. But I thank God, if we would have woke up and tried to stop these thieves, we would be harmed or killed. Luckily, our life is more worth than the money, for which we are grateful to God in this incident. So being careful and attentive is the only way you can save your valuables”.
SOME INFORMATION THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
About Recovering stolen goods:
If the police catch a thief, he generally discloses the time and location from where he stole the items. The police then send a circular to concerned police stations asking if any complaint on particular theft incident on the day has registered. If a case has been registered, then the theft victim will be informed of the recovery. Meanwhile, they will also try to recover the stolen goods. By matching the statement of the complainant and the culprit (about the timing of the incident, location, description of the stolen item, photos, bills etc), the police try to authenticate the ownership of the property.
Police sources say that in 90 percent of the cases, gold is melted by the time of recovery, due to which the complainant cannot identify the stolen item. Sometimes the police even resort to redesigning the gold ornament near to its original design, so that the same could be proved before the court and theft victim can claim its ownership.
Court’s nod required to claim ownership:
After recovering the stolen item, police submit property form to the nearest court. The property form includes details such as FIR number, description of the property, crime, officer-in-charge of the case etc. While submitting property form to the court, the police or the complainant can seek custody of the stolen item till the closure of the case. In case of electronic items like phone, computer, and perishable commodities, normally, the court grants temporary custody of the stolen item to the complainant. This is because the value of the property might deteriorate by the time the case closes. It might take six to 12 months for the closure of the case.
If the police take custody of a stolen item, it’s their responsibility to ensure that property is intact till the time of case closure. In case of seizure of dangerous items such as crackers and bombs, police have to take permission from the court for destruction of the seized property.
Temporary handing over of the commodity is done through the court’s interim order. The complainant/ owner has to submit an indemnity bond by paying a fee of Rs 200 to the court. In the bond, he/ she has to assure of producing the item during case hearing whenever the court asks for it. The court at the end of the trial decides who the real owner of the stolen item is.
What if nobody claims ownership of seized stolen items?
Often, nobody comes forward to claim ownership of stolen properties the police recover from thieves. In such a case, the police tend to seek permission from the court to exhibit them in property parade. The department will advertise about property parade with a description of the recovered items and time and venue of the parade. The real owner of the property, even if has not filed a complaint about the theft, can visit the parade and claim ownership by producing necessary documents.
So, what if a person has lost an old gold chain which neither has payment receipt nor any document evidence? Can he still claim its ownership? “Yes, he can. Sometimes police will have to go by instinct and believe the person who comes to us claiming ownership. We will try to match his statement and that of the thief,” a police officer says.
If nobody claims ownership of the property even at property parade, then the police department disposes of such property under CrPC provisions. Police submit the list of the unclaimed property before the court and request to permit to dispose it off, for want of space and value deterioration over time. Then the court directs the department to publish it in the Gazette called “Police Gazette.” After Gazette publication, the unclaimed property will be auctioned. Even during the public auction, theft victims can claim ownership by providing supportive evidence. Unclaimed ones will be auctioned and the money collected will go to the police treasury.
How to file a complaint?
If you are a victim of theft, it is important to file a police complaint in the nearest police station to the theft location. Here are some of the aspects to be noted while filing a complaint: Provide clear description of the incident, including when, where (date and time) and how it happened; You can also specify the culprit, if you are aware of his/ her identity; Mention the eyewitness, if any; List down the items that were stolen; Describe the stolen item like colour, approximate value etc; You can provide photographs of the stolen item for easy identification and proof; Also furnish documents, bills to support your claims.