INDIA COMPUTER HARD DISKS STOLEN FROM OFFICESThieves steal hard disks from Nariman Point officesThieves steal hard disks from Nariman Point offices

S. Ahmed Ali

Mumbai, February 13: A new series of high-tech robberies at Nariman Point has left both corporate offices and police baffled. On Sunday, seven offices in plush Mittal Chambers were burgled. Computer parts, fax machines, mobile phones and cash worth Rs 15 lakh were stolen.

Strangely, the gang’s main target seems to be the office computers’ hard disks, CPUs and RAMs. Cabinets and drawers are generally left untouched.

‘‘I don’t understand it. Those hard disks and RAMs are worth a couple of thousand to the thieves, but the data on them is invaluable to us. Why steal such a thing,’’ said a perplexed A B Ravi, editor of business magazine USP Age.

The other offices burgled include Dynotrox Services, Vijeta Marketing, Raj Prakash Marketing, EOC Polymar and Crescent Exports and Suresh Trading.

Even though the robberies occurred on a Sunday—a day when the commercial area is largely deserted—the building’s watchmen told police they saw ‘‘no one strange’’ enter the building.

This is not the first such burglary at Mittal Chambers. Just a fortnight ago, three offices here lost 17 hard disks and RAMs.

And in what police believe was another job by the same gang, four Fort offices were broken into and valuables worth Rs 5 lakh stolen on January 23. This time too, the target was hard disks.

Now, corporates are complaining that the police are not alert enough. ‘‘It’s shocking that such burglaries should occur so frequently in one of the city’s most secure zones, with Mantralaya and Vidhan Bhavan right here,’’ said Arshad Dev of EOC Polymar. Meanwhile, the Marine Drive police complain of inadequate numbers.

‘‘We have only 80 policemen to cover Mantralaya, Vidhan Bhavan, Churchgate station, Wankhede stadium, the MLA bungalows, morchas and VIP movements. When are we to patrol,’’ said one policeman, on condition of anonymity.

Now, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 1) Naval Bajaj has alerted local police stations. ‘‘We have started nakabandis at various points in this area and have also increased the police bandobast here,’’ he said.