Daijiworld Media Network - Bhopal

Bhopal, Sep 25: In a shocking security breach in Bhopal’s high-security Char Imli zone, unidentified men on a motorcycle snatched two mobile phones from Madhya Pradesh’s Inspector General (Intelligence and ATS), Ashish, late Tuesday night. The 2005-batch IPS officer was taking a post-dinner walk with his wife when the incident occurred around 10 pm.

One of the phones, containing sensitive and confidential information, was recovered within 20 minutes near the crime scene, likely abandoned after its advanced security features were detected. However, the second device, believed to hold critical intelligence inputs, remains missing, prompting an urgent response from security agencies. A tracker confirmed its last movement near Kolar Guest House before it was switched off.

Crime Branch officials, assisted by multiple police units, are investigating the incident with extreme caution due to the potential compromise of classified information. CCTV footage shows three men on a motorcycle, with two suspects already in custody and one still at large. Authorities are also probing whether the same gang carried out a similar phone-snatching in Shivaji Nagar the same night, though no formal complaint was filed.

Char Imli, home to the state DGP, police commissioner, former home minister, and several cabinet ministers and senior officers, is considered a secure zone. Yet, this incident has raised concerns over security lapses, with non-functional streetlights and outdated CCTV systems cited as vulnerabilities. Residents voiced alarm, questioning safety even for ordinary citizens.

Mobile and chain-snatching cases are common in Bhopal, but this brazen attack on a top police official within a VIP enclave signals a dangerous escalation in criminal audacity.