Curious Case of Shiva’s Laptop and Phone
My notion that people steal or rob in order to drive out poverty or hunger for food turned out to be wrong, when a 22yr old engineer from L & T called Dharmaradha stole our dear friend Shiva’s HP laptop and sony experia phone. Smart detective skills from Shiva and Shashank ensured all was well at the end. The story goes this way.
After couple of weeks of WFH (work from home) Shiva’s boards a private Travels known as Divakar travels from Hyderabad on Sunday 6th November evening at 6.30pm headed towards Bangalore. It was a double bedded sleeper bus and Shiva, who got the last available ticket had to share it with one more person. So at 8pm this dark 5’4 inches tall guy boards the bus. A little bit of chat here and there with Shiva and they resume their journey. In between Shiva had opened up his laptop to charge his experia phone so that it would be helpful for him the next day and had kept both laptop and phone attached to it with the cable inside the bag. At 3am he slept with one of the arms of the bag entangled to his leg so that no one would steal it.
All was well until he wakes up at 5am at Corporation circle to find his laptop, phone and the cable connecting the two MISSING from his bag. His co-passenger Dharmaradha had got down from the bus at Hebbal itself. The rest of the passengers in the bus were majorly families or all well put up so suspicion grew even more on this man. At 6am Shiva goes to the Halasuru police station and tries to register a case. But the policemen ignore him and tell him conveniently to go to the Travels office and Check. So he goes to Divakar Travels and they pull out the chart of all the Passengers and travelling with all the details they had. This guy Dharmaradha was supposed to get down at Yelahanka and we got his phone no. which was a Tamil Nadu no. Shiva immediately called and politely told him to return his phone and laptop, but that guy started telling all nonsense like father promise, mother promise god promise and finally told he also had lost his wallet and phone. This added to Shiva’s suspicion and was confirmed that it’s him. He said don’t disturb him and he has to go office.
Shiva travelled to electronic city in order to dump his luggage but there was no end for anxiety since it was his last week ahead in the office. Shashank joins him at his place and with the phone no. of the culprit they try to search for further details of his. Our intense gratitude to Mark Zuckelberg for bringing up Facebook , from which we could trace his profile and get his other Karnataka phone no. as well. Calling up on this phone said this Airtel no. is switched off. But thanks to all the contacts, a friend’s friend’s friend worked in Airtel and there was a probability of getting the address of the phone no. from him. In the meanwhile they head to the Electronic City police station, and police there ignore this saying that since he didn’t lose it at electronic city it doesn’t come under their jurisdiction. So Shiva and Shashank drive down to Corporation circle Halasuru police Station. Constable says Inspector has gone for some problem due to bakrid festival so please wait. Their wait continues for further long but no sign of Inspector turning up. Then this friend’s friend’s friend figures out the address on which the phone no. was registered - #11388, Near RTO office, Yelahanka New Town, Bangalore. This a great sigh of relief as the two detectives head to Yelahanka hoping to figure it out.
Yelahanka was as strange as any other city in Greece since it was first time for both at Yelahanka. After numerous twists and turns and asking the locals and hours of exploration they figure out the RTO. There was no other specification in the address other than this. So they try asking everybody around RTO and being smarter they approach courier services store and with his clue they get the place where the culprit Dharmaradha resides. It was 3 storeys, big L&T guesthouse where the employees could stay using the facilities. Enquiring with the care takers and explaining out problem we figure out he resides in the room in the first floor. They told him he would return from work at 8pm. currently time was 1pm.
Since Shiva was sure that he has definitely taken it Shiva decides to stay there until he returns. So Shiva and Shashank sit outside the house on the road waiting for the culprit. After couple of hours of waiting Caretakers being merciful help him with a place to sit, water and a tv too. They keep waiting hoping for his soon return.
After another hour a senior supervisor of the guest house Mr.Dileep turns up and was amazed to listen to our story. Looking at the anxiety he opens up the room where Dharmaradha resides, but his cupboard was locked. So we had to hold on until he returns. Thanks to Dileep who took them to a nearby place and gave them some food to eat.
The wait continued to resume just outside his room so that nobody would enter and move the laptop to any other place. They both doze of right outside sitting on a chair after the tiring day. With the wait the clock was ticking so slowly that probably 8pm would never arrive, but they were so determined that they would stick on until he turns and check and then leave the place. They just walk here and there and thinking all possible ways of him to escape from this or where else would he have the laptop, because to kill time and waiting anxiously was the toughest part in the whole proceedings.
Looking at the progress of the investigation I decide to join them, though I initially believed that It was impossible to track without the help of the police, with so less information. It was 7.30pm. Anxiety was again increasing, and more thoughts started pouring what if if he wouldn’t have the laptop and the phone.
Other Residents of the guest house started pouring in after the day’s work and we had to explain everything in detail. The drama didn’t end here. One of the residents told Dharmaradha is downstairs. By the time we went downstairs he had left the place again. So we went back and waited outside his room. A fellow resident decided call Dharmradha and asked him to come. At the end this Short dark rat turns up and was shocked to see Shiva there. He opens up the room and insists on to proceed with talks downstairs so that it would be less embarrassment for him. So Shiva and Shashank talk him down, and I wait in his room with other residents. Finally he reveals that Shiva’s laptop and phone in the last cupboard, lowest drawer and in the black bag. So in the presence of the Residents and Care takers Shiva opens it up and there it is HP elite book laptop, his Sony experia phone with battery and sim card removed and the data cable. In the meanwhile Shashank alias our cop investigate him downstairs alone as to why he did this and what is his salary etc. Supposedly he was new joinee at L&T and drew a salary of Rs.20000. He did so because he mind changed looking at the free luxury of the HP laptop and the expensive Sony expensive phone.
Now we moved courtyard outside the house where this rat was standing after couple of slaps from Shashank. The more we tried to hit, somehow his colleagues interrupted in between. Though I insisted in taking him to the police but polite Shiva decides not to spoil his career anymore so decide to drop it there. But we decide to claim for compensation Rs.2500. for the all petrol we spent. Of course for the time and anxiety there is no compensation possible.
So we end it there and long drive back to electronic city.
So the moral of the story: People don’t steal in order to pacify their hunger it’s also for the pleasure of more, but good people do exist, thanks to the caretakers and the supervisor who provided some food and water.
