[sam_b77]

Saw this in Indian news about a guy from Bombay finding his stolen car through BBM
Man finds stolen car in 12 hours, thanks to social networking.
Although it could be true for any social networking, I'm sure RIM could try and spin it their way.

Naysayers who lament the evils of social networking can eat their words.A network of helpful and alert texters achieved a feat that eluded even the city’s cops, when a 28-year-old model’s stolen SUV, a swanky Pajero, was recovered in just 12 hours, all thanks to a message posted by him on Blackberry messenger (BBM).


Lost and found: Saif Siddiqui with his Pajero

Saif Siddiqui’s car was stolen from Khar around midnight on Tuesday, only to be miraculously restored to him around noon the next day, parked in a secluded lane in Andheri, near MVM School.


Good samaritan: Sameer Handa (above) spotted a Pajero with the same registration number as had been mentioned in the BBM text, and alerted its owner Saif Siddiqui (below)

Although Saif had already lodged an FIR, he also typed out a message on BBM for good measure, appealing to his friends to contact him via BBM if they saw his car.



In a chain reaction, his friends shared the message with their friends, and soon entire networks of BBM friends were looking out for the missing set of wheels.

Around noon the next day, when Saif had just about given up hope of ever getting his car back, a complete stranger responded to his message, saying that he had identified a car similar to the one that was described as missing in the message, in his locality. Saif rushed to the spot, and burst into tears when he was reunited with his precious vehicle.

Lost and found
The car went missing when Saif went to meet his friend at Laxmi Niwas on 16th Road around 11 pm on Tuesday. When he came down to drive back home, he was shocked to discover that his car was nowhere in sight. He immediately alerted Mumbai police and rushed to Khar police station, where he lodged an FIR for the stolen Mitsubishi Pajero 2800 (4X4).

Cops registered his complaint, offering the unsolicited advice that a stolen Pajero is rarely recovered. But the 300 friends on Saif’s BBM list proved them wrong. In fact, even this MiD DAY correspondent received a message this morning saying: ‘Close friend’s car stolen… if anyone sees a Pajero MH02 BM 3394 please revert immediately on 982104XXXX.’

Saif’s Good Samaritan has now been identified as Sameer Handa. Handa spotted the car with the same registration number parked in a secluded bylane in Sainik Nagar in Andheri (West). “I rushed to the spot on my bike and I was lucky to find my Pajero,” a beaming Saif told MiD DAY.

The door lock was damaged, and the external safety lock that protects the steering and the clutch pedal had also been broken. Luckily, the car was not damaged externally. “Since I had my keys I checked the car and rushed to Khar police station,” said Saif.

“I found that the lock fit loosely, which means that it was removed earlier to make keys and was fitted again. The thief was in search of an opportunity, which he got last night. He entered the car from the rear, broke the clutch lock and fled with the car,” said Saif.

Handa said, “Even I own a Pajero and I know it does not have an electronic safety lock nor a GPS device. This model has a very good resale value, but can be opened even with the keys to a Fiat.”

Copspeak
Mangesh Pote, senior inspector of Khar police station said, “It’s good that Saif got his Pajero back, because these vehicles are vulnerable to theft. Even during nakabandis we usually verify Pajero owners and alert them to install extra safety devices in their vehicles.”

[Masahiro]

Wow... 300 friends on BBM...

[sam_b77]

Wow... 300 friends on BBM...

There's still love for BB in India.

[dentynefire]

yeah 300 is huge!! Nice story too, what does "revert immediately on 982104XXXX" mean? Is that his cell #

[sam_b77]

yeah 300 is huge!! Nice story too, what does "revert immediately on 982104XXXX" mean? Is that his cell #

Yeah that's the cell number. The last five digits are Xd out by the reporter to protect the guy's number. Although with his number floating around on BBM in Bombay, I doubt there is much privacy left to protect.

[Masahiro]

There's still love for BB in India.

Haha. Yeah. I just find having 300 friends on BBM a little hard to imagine. I wonder how many messages he gets in an hour... Either way, it's good he got his car back!

[dentynefire]

well some people have the same # of FaceBook "friends" that they might never meet again lol so I say its certainly possible. Bombay has 20 million people I'm sure 300 friends could be realistic.

[sam_b77]

well some people have the same # of FaceBook "friends" that they might never meet again lol so I say its certainly possible. Bombay has 20 million people I'm sure 300 friends could be realistic.

That is so true...I have 140 friends on Facebook ( I'm embarrassed by that small number), but only 5 are the ones whom I meet every week and the rest I haven't met in years.

[madman0141]

There's still love for BB in India.

Hope it stays that way for a long while.

[anjali_jain]

There's still love for BB in India.

Yup ! There are many people in India who still love BB phones........waiting for BB 10 in India.

[adadadad]

Yeah, people in India love blackberry more than anything else. Bring on BB10.

[ALToronto]

There's still love for BB in India.

Probably because everyone in India has a relative in Canada

[jafrul]

nope. not going to buy a mitsubishi pajero .
but in malaysia, mitsubishi triton is famous among thefts.


#blackberry by choice. Sent from my 9800 non-slide slider.

[texazzpete]

Wow... 300 friends on BBM...

Not that big a deal...i've got 250+

contacts.jpg

[sam_b77]

Probably because everyone in India has a relative in Canada

I thought that was England.....that is the real motherland for Indians. Serves the brits right too...rule us for 200 yrs will they, well we just followed them back home