'A Phone(Y) Boomerang'

It all started with a Facebook status update ‘Tragedy at Shillong’ on 19^th June 2011. The update was from my friend Trideep Rabha who had visited our beautiful hill station after almost two years.

Have you ever felt so helpless and handicapped when you lose something that means a lot to you? Yes, it was his mobile phone that he lost when he took a cab from Police Bazaar to Laitumukhrah Beat House. He got down from the cab at the Beat House Junction and in about a minute while crossing the road he realized that his phone was not in his shorts pocket. And before he could look at the cab, it was gone. He had dropped it in the cab while he was inside. It was a Sunday, and since most of the shops were closed he felt helpless and lost. In about 10 minutes, he found a PCO and called up his number and much to his dismay, the phone was switched off. Now, that’s a tragic way to start your trip to Shillong. All that he had was his laptop and his internet data card from where he could communicate with the world and that’s when I read his status update in Facebook.

He was without a phone for a day and finally arranged one (the screen was barely visible because it was cracked) with a Sim-card the next day. We met up and yes he was truly disappointed. It was a Samsung Nexus phone and mind you, that is burning a huge hole in your pocket and losing that phone would be heart breaking. To add more to his tragedy at Shillong, he fell ill and was down with fever too, gosh! it rained a lot these past few days and it was a major change of weather for him since he came from Hyderabad.

Now, in normal circumstances those who have lost their mobile phones give up the hope of ever seeing it again and that too was the case with Trideep. I now introduce the third character in my story Roger Sangma whom we met three days after Trideep’s tragedy and we narrated the story to him. Well, who would know that the only form of active communication (his laptop) would bring that hope back??? Yes folks, there is something that I need to reveal, Trideep’s lost phone was a Samsung Nexus and it was an Android phone. To simply put it, his phone came with a mobile tracking software that was installed in his laptop and it could detect any activity on the phone be it addition of new contacts, call logs and this was synchronized to his e-mail id through a website www.lookout.com and it had the use of GPS (Global Positioning System) that helped in tracking the phone in Google Map via Satellite Image and believe me, you are all going to be blown where this story goes.

On Thursday night, Trideep called me up to say that he has tracked his lost phone in Google Map and the location was in an area very close to the Golf Club at Golf Links. Friday came and it was pouring cats and dogs but yes, we didn’t want to delay it before we lost sight of the phone in Google map. So Trideep, Roger and I took a walk with hope in our hearts and went for the hunt following the map straight to Golf Links area and we reached the place where the phone was located. The rain still didn’t stop and we found out that there were too many houses in that area, so we asked a few people a few questions about cab drivers and a lost phone but then in all case of probability, getting a lost phone and that too an expensive one was one in a million chances. I guess we were way too optimistic and hopeful but in spite of the disappointment we gave it a shot. Trideep was not so bothered about his loss; he had given up hope and was mentally prepared to leave for Guwahati the next day (Saturday). I and Roger on the other hand were really feeling the loss and it was a case of ‘so close, yet so far’. Amidst all the tension and adventure, we were still recollecting our college days in Shillong, laughing, singing and cracking jokes on the road. We went back to our respective places later that evening but the thought of the phone never left us. At around 9pm on Friday, Trideep called me again and gave me the news that I would only ever imagine would happen in a film filled with twists and turns. He told me and this is where I knew that lady luck was on our side. The location of the phone changed from Golf Links to Laitumkhrah, very close to the graveyard and the house was absolutely visible in the Google Map. That wasn’t all; he got an e-mail that all the old contacts were deleted; ten new contacts were added to the phone along with the phone numbers, yes you read it right, phone numbers too. The contact that was our jackpot was: ‘Mom’ with the phone number. Trideep decided not to go down to Guwahati and it was fate that stopped him, there was a 12 hours bandh in Guwahati on Saturday.

Saturday morning, after discussing what should be the next plan of action and following Roger’s sensible suggestion, I went to Laitumukhrah Beat House Police Station and told an officer Mr. Nath about the entire incident and where the phone has been finally located. Trideep came with a friend soon after and after showing the location of the cell phone (Laitumukhrah Graveyard) the officer and his team of three were willing to take us to the location and join the hunt. They were very keen to know more about this technology as it was something new for them and it involved satellite images with proper maps. We reached the spot in their new police Gypsy and then one of the police officers called up ‘Mom’. After the number was dialled three times, on the fourth attempt ‘Mom’ finally picked up and by then we already saw her and were in front of her house. The neighbourhood was active wondering what a police vehicle was doing in their locality. In fact six-seven people of that locality asked us what was happening.  The police team and we told ‘Mom’ what happened and the purpose of our visit, her hands were shivering when she started speaking. It hardly took her a minute to confess that the phone was with them but the person having the phone had just left to start off the day’s business in their ‘Paan’ Shop near NEEPCO. After seeing that the neighbours were getting inquisitive the police team decided to leave and go down to NEEPCO and took us with a relative of ‘Mom’. All this happened in less than an hour and by 11am (25^th June) we reached the shop and the boy who had the phone was barely 15 years old. Trideep’s reaction and expression on his face was priceless. I was brimming with joy. Roger could not make it, he had woken up late but then the news made him jump in joy. Trideep had his phone in his hands after 6 days. Don’t we all give up in a couple of days?

The story didn’t end here, we left the relative in the shop and the officer and his team took us back to the police station and they were amazed at the fact that it was sheer technology that made the hunt successful. Trideep was still in a state of disbelief. After reaching the station ‘Mom’ steps in with two ladies and was rather very loud. She had to defend herself and her son so she said looking at Trideep that he was lucky that he got his phone and in today’s times getting a lost mobile phone is hardly heard of. They were vouching that they were ‘good people’ and so the phone was found. It seems people were telling them that if they sold the phone they could easily get 15 grands but they didn’t. I was amazed at their sheer stupid excuse. Good people?? Were they sleeping for the past five days that they couldn’t get in touch with Trideep? They took out his old Sim-card immediately after they found the phone on the floor of the cab and switched off the phone. Their intentions were rather clear and Trideep also discovered that all his old songs were deleted and mind you 102 hip-hop tracks were added. Some ‘good people’ I say.

Now finally before I put an end to this fascinating journey of ‘lost and found’, I would like to point out that the Android phone and its unique features helped us track the phone. The synchronisation helps in setting e-mail alerts whenever there are new contacts added, old ones deleted even call logs too. The GPS helps us to get in sync with Google Maps and a phone even without a Sim-card when switched on can be traced right up to the house where it is placed via Satellite. I would deeply like to thank Meghalaya Police (the officers of Laitumukhrah Beat House) for their support, cooperation and prompt action. Without them, Trideep would have gone to Hyderabad with a painful loss. Roger even though he couldn’t make it the last day to witness the action, his suggestion was truly intelligent. From this incident, we should learn that those of you who have such types of phones please synchronize it with your laptop or desktop. We tend to neglect it normally. If there is anything we find that doesn’t belong to us like an electronic device (be it a laptop, mobile), wallet we should be responsible citizens to at least get in touch with the owner or give it to the nearest police station. ‘Mom’ and her family had that option but I guess they were unaware of the consequences and the magic of technology.

Moral of the story: Don’t take anything that isn’t yours...who knows, you are being watched!