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A woman, known as Sarah on social media, recently faced a distressing incident in Varanasi where her iPhone 13 was stolen by a pickpocket in a crowded street. Sarah shared the entire ordeal in a Twitter thread, expressing her frustration with the Uttar Pradesh Police’s alleged inaction despite identifying the thief through CCTV footage.
Woman Shares CCTV Video of iPhone Theft in Varanasi. The incident occurred on January 29 during Sarah’s pilgrimage trip to Varanasi with her parents. The CCTV footage reveals a man in a black sweatshirt swiftly taking her four-month-old iPhone 13 before disappearing into the crowd. Sarah realized her phone was missing a few minutes later and promptly filed an FIR at the nearest police station.
Finally mustering the courage to write this:
My 4 month old Iphone 13 got pickpocketed from Varanasi Nai Sarak Chowk (near Kashi Vishwanath & Dashashwamedh Ghat)
I have it on CCTV, I have the location of it, we filed an FIR, but UP Police is unable to help me (A thread🧵)
— Sarah (@shehjarr_) February 5, 2024
In a shocking turn of events, Sarah claimed that the police instructed her to term the incident as ‘phone gum gaya hai’ (phone lost) instead of ‘chori hogya hai’ (theft occurred). This, she alleges, was an attempt to avoid actively pursuing the case.
We filed an FIR at the nearest police station. Below is the stamped copy of it.
We were told to write 'phone gum gaya hai' instead of 'chori hogya hai' so that it's not a case police has to work on. pic.twitter.com/lpWQaugAKa
— Sarah (@shehjarr_) February 5, 2024
Despite providing the police with evidence, including the CCTV footage identifying the thief as a known local named ‘Vijay,’ who has a history of criminal activities and multiple jail terms, Sarah received no updates from the authorities. Meanwhile, the Find My iPhone feature traced her phone’s location to Jharkhand.
Woman Shares CCTV Video Of Thief Stealing iPhone. Expressing her dismay, Sarah emphasized the impact of the incident, stating that her pilgrimage trip turned into a “traumatic criminal experience” for her and her family. She highlighted the potential threat to tourists visiting for spiritual purposes and criticized the lack of safety in the temple arena.
Concluding the thread, Sarah acknowledged the unlikely recovery of her phone but stressed the emotional and financial damage inflicted. The narrative serves as a testament to the challenges faced by tourists in Varanasi and raises concerns about the efficiency of the local police in handling such cases.
