How not to lose your phone in Dhaka streets

As mobile phone snatching has become one of the most common crimes in the city, you never know when you will become the next victim. After questioning several snatching victims and the police, The Daily Star brings to you the best possible tips to avoid ‘mobile snatching’.

Watch your surroundings: Whenever you are out in public, always ‘hide’ your phone in the least reachable corner of your bag, and make sure your bag is properly closed. Never keep your phone in your backpack, and in cases you are not carrying your bag, keep your phone in your clasp strongly, advised Sadia, an university student adding that sending text while in public places makes you most vulnerable to phone-snatching! It’s worth noting that, nowadays phones can also get snatched from a running CNG. “They take less than 10 seconds to cut the hood and snatch your phone from your clasp and disappear, so you need to be alert while traveling in public transports too,” she added.

Alternative devices: To protect your phone from being snatched, you can use alternative devices in the public places. A bluetooth earphone can be the best alternative in such cases. It helps not only to protect the phone from being snatched, but also helps you keep on multi-tasking! “One night, I was travelling by a rickshaw, talking to a friend. Just in a moment, my brand new phone was gone,” said Razzak, a businessman. “I often travel across the city at night, and in such cases, use ear phones to talk,” he added.

Overall circumstances: Deputy Commissioner (media) of Dhaka Metropoliton Police (DMP) Muntasirul Islam said overall circumstances play an important role in both inciting and avoiding this crime, adding that it completely depends on a particular person, how he would safeguard himself from being a ‘mobile snatching’ victim. For example, in public transports, commuters should be extra careful than in private transports, and nobody should leave his/her phone unattended at restaurants and shops. He also said that phones should never be used with the car windows open and should not be left on a seat with the adjoining window open. “We often hear complaints from commuters that they were travelling in a CNG run auto-rickshaw or bus, sending a text or playing a game, and suddenly their phones get snatched. This is how the commuter becomes a victim of phone snatching”

Self defence skills: Sometimes just being alert does not help, however to protect from any mishap like phone snatching, a little bit of self defence skills can do all the magic. Think you are walking down the street and someone tries to snatch your phone, you can sometimes save yourself and your phone by a push, or a scuffle.  In Dhaka, it hardly matters what time you are exposing you phone in the public. Therefore, the same precautions should be taken at all times, irrespective of night or day, advised Muntasirul.

Chain-up: The most realistic idea of keeping your phone secured is to fasten it to your own  body! In other words, there are many types of chains that you find in the market, which you can attach to your phone and also to your belt/bag to keep the phone secured with you. In cases, if someone tries to tamper with it, you will know it immediately.