You could call it a sequel to my blog about two and a half months ago, just after my purse was snatched by two bikers on way to a Metro station in the capital. When I wrote in January about “my world” being taken away by some strangers, there was still some hope that I might get back some, if not all, of the contents lost in that purse. But, last Sunday, I learnt that the case was shut as far as “my world” goes.
When the cop dealing with my case phoned me last week to tell me that some suspects had been caught and that I must reach the court to identify these people, some friends reminded me, “Didn’t we say that you will get back your things when you least expect it…” When I called the sub-inspector to ask if any of my things had been recovered, he kept the suspense alive. “Once you identify the suspects, the case would progress from there…”
Since I was on leave from office for a week, I gladly gave them a date for the court visit. “It could take you all day in the court,” the cop cautioned me. I was fine with that as I was still waiting for that phone diary that I had lost in that bag. The other things like ATM and credit cards were already replaced, and cash would obviously never be recovered, I thought to myself.
Before replying, I asked them why were these two men caught and from where. They were caught in the act of snatching in another locality and since it matched my case, they were referred to the people handling my case. Also, the suspects refused to go through a TIP, a jargon that was new to me. Test identification parade, the cop explained. So, they called me for photo identification to help them with the case.
After the cops finished telling me about the suspects, who were doing odd jobs at local restaurants and as rag pickers, I wanted to know whether the police had any clue about the things that I had lost. Any chance of recovering anything? Maybe that diary or even stray papers or letters lying around in that purse?
Then came the clincher. The suspects admitted they had snatched a purse from a woman on a certain day, that quite matched with mine. Also, that the purse contained a few thousands in cash, which they had spent in a jiffy. I was waiting. The purse also had some papers and documents, the suspects had told the police. Since all that was of no use to them, they had thrown away the bag with all its contents minus the cash into a drain, which I will not name. So, should I go and search myself in that drain, I asked. No point, the cops told me, as the police had already done the needful. “Nothing has been found. The flow of water is very strong there, hard to get back anything.”
Like in many things in life, I was looking for a closure in this case too. And I knew it was closed for good now. The cops of course were waiting for the answer that they had called me for, as they were yet to reach a closure! “Are these the men,” they asked, flashing the pictures again on a phone. “I cannot identify,” was my reply. The police called back to say that I would get a court notice soon to attend the proceedings.
When the cop dealing with my case phoned me last week to tell me that some suspects had been caught and that I must reach the court to identify these people, some friends reminded me, “Didn’t we say that you will get back your things when you least expect it…” When I called the sub-inspector to ask if any of my things had been recovered, he kept the suspense alive. “Once you identify the suspects, the case would progress from there…”
Since I was on leave from office for a week, I gladly gave them a date for the court visit. “It could take you all day in the court,” the cop cautioned me. I was fine with that as I was still waiting for that phone diary that I had lost in that bag. The other things like ATM and credit cards were already replaced, and cash would obviously never be recovered, I thought to myself.
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The excitement of going to the court, to be able to say “Yes, this is the man who snatched my things”, died a quick death as the police wanted me to look at the pictures of these men instead of a real identification. I reached the police station rather reluctantly and I was shown two pictures on a mobile phone. Are these the men who snatched your purse, they asked.
Before replying, I asked them why were these two men caught and from where. They were caught in the act of snatching in another locality and since it matched my case, they were referred to the people handling my case. Also, the suspects refused to go through a TIP, a jargon that was new to me. Test identification parade, the cop explained. So, they called me for photo identification to help them with the case.
After the cops finished telling me about the suspects, who were doing odd jobs at local restaurants and as rag pickers, I wanted to know whether the police had any clue about the things that I had lost. Any chance of recovering anything? Maybe that diary or even stray papers or letters lying around in that purse?
Then came the clincher. The suspects admitted they had snatched a purse from a woman on a certain day, that quite matched with mine. Also, that the purse contained a few thousands in cash, which they had spent in a jiffy. I was waiting. The purse also had some papers and documents, the suspects had told the police. Since all that was of no use to them, they had thrown away the bag with all its contents minus the cash into a drain, which I will not name. So, should I go and search myself in that drain, I asked. No point, the cops told me, as the police had already done the needful. “Nothing has been found. The flow of water is very strong there, hard to get back anything.”
Like in many things in life, I was looking for a closure in this case too. And I knew it was closed for good now. The cops of course were waiting for the answer that they had called me for, as they were yet to reach a closure! “Are these the men,” they asked, flashing the pictures again on a phone. “I cannot identify,” was my reply. The police called back to say that I would get a court notice soon to attend the proceedings.