PHQ’s senior cop falls prey to cell phone snatchers:Bike-borne duo commit crime, speed away towards Chunabhatti; stolen unit still untraced

The audacity of cell phone snatchers has been growing day by day in Madhya Pradesh’s capital, Bhopal. On Tuesday night, unidentified miscreants robbed the mobile phone of the Inspector General of Intelligence, posted at MP Police Headquarters (PHQ) in Bhopal. The incident unfolded late Tuesday night in the Char Imli area of the city, the police said. Habibganj police station in-charge Sanjeev Chouksey told Bhaskar English that the IG, who was robbed, is named Ashish. He was taking a post-dinner walk when the crime took place. “While speaking on his phone, two men on a motorcycle approached him from behind, snatched his mobile, and sped away towards Chunabhatti through Ekant Park Road,” he added. Criminals switch off cell phone After the loot, the culprits switched off the phone in the Durga Nagar slum area, making it untraceable, as per police. Multiple police teams have been unable to track the device since then. The incident has raised serious concerns over the safety of even senior police officers in the state capital. Massive search operation launched The crime prompted an immediate and large-scale response. Senior police officials from other police stations rushed to the spot along with Habibganj police. The Crime Branch set up half a dozen teams, including personnel from MP Nagar, TT Nagar, Chunabhatti and Habibganj police stations, to conduct searches and road blockades across the city. Sources revealed that the suspects are believed to be active in the Chunabhatti and Kamla Nagar areas. Several individuals have been detained for questioning, but no concrete breakthrough has been achieved so far. Congress questions law and order after the incident Meanwhile, the incident has also triggered a political storm, with the Congress party raising sharp questions about the state’s law and order situation. The IG Intelligence is responsible for monitoring criminal activities, law and order issues, and reporting inputs directly to the state government. That such a senior officer himself became a victim of street crime has led the opposition to intensify its criticism of the ruling government.