Bhopal: In a startling breach of security, three miscreants on a bike snatched not one but two mobile phones from IG (Intelligence) of state late Tuesday night right in Bhopal’s elite Char Imli neighborhood — home to top bureaucrats and police brass. The incident, which saw the officer targeted while out on a post-dinner walk with his wife, has raised urgent concerns over safety arrangements in one of the state capital’s most fortified zones — especially with the festive season underway.Police even had to admit the incident took place in a dark stretch where non-functional streetlights and outdated CCTVs made detection harder. Cops said one phone was quickly recovered. The accused had thrown the phone before speeding away. As snatching cases pile up in the city, the police seem clueless on how to prevent such crimes, passing the buck on miscreants and youth who live in slums, when asked to comment on the growing cases. City police chiefs called for stepped-up vigilance but acknowledged technical and enforcement lapses may have helped embolden snatchers — the latest in a string of mobile and chain-snatching incidents underlining Bhopal’s rising crime graph. After grabbing the phones, the accused tossed one device aside and sped off towards Chunabhatti. Within minutes, police launched a citywide manhunt, scanning CCTV footage and detaining suspects. Officials confirmed a case was registered for robbery. Mobile snatchings seize headlines on city pages every other day. But the trend seems to be getting worse now as even Char Imli’s reputation as a VIP enclave — housing the state’s DGP Kailash Makwana, police commissioner Harinarayanchari Mishra, former home minister Narottam Mishra and other cops and politicians— offered no insulation from crime. A similar snatching in Shivaji Nagar that night went unreported as the victim refused to lodge a complaint. IG (Intelligence) Dr Ashish, posted at police headquarters, had just finished dinner and was strolling with his wife near Ekant Park when the trio struck. After alerting Habibganj police, rapid-response teams fanned out. Senior police officers, including police commissioner Harinarayanchari Mishra and others, reached the spot and started investigations. DCP (Zone-1) Ashutosh Gupta said that separate teams were formed to solve the case. Police have rounded up some suspects with the help of CCTVs, cops said. Officers assured the public that more patrols and tech upgrades are coming, but for many residents, concerns over security in VIP zones remain high.The brazen incident, coming during the festive season, has sparked debate over policing and surveillance in the city’s VIP zones.After targeting IG (Intelligence) Dr Ashish while he walked with his wife, the trio threw away one of his phones and sped toward Chunabhatti. Police responded swiftly, launching searches, scanning CCTV footage, and rounding up suspects. Officials say arrests are imminent, and a snatching case has been registered. The incident occurred in a poorly-lit stretch, one of several in Char Imli where outdated CCTVs — a majority non-functional — have hampered security. Habibganj ACP Umesh Tiwari said that one phone was quickly recovered and more patrols have been ordered, yet the episode laid bare technical and enforcement gaps. Notably, another mobile snatching incident took place around the 5-Number area in Shivaji Nagar around the same time, but the victim, said to be a student, refused to file a police complaint. Police officials maintained that the accused who committed the incident with the student were different from the ones in the senior IPS officer case.Several snatching incidents are being reported in the city every other day. Pipilani, Govindpura, Bag Sewania, Ayodhya Nagar, and Habibganj are among the worst-affected areas. In some instances, victims’ complaints were not even registered.
