A young woman who went to a police station to report the theft of her mobile phone had to return after filing a diary that merely said “missing” because the officer would not accept “stolen”.

“The officer forced me to write the word ‘missing’ instead of ‘stolen’ on a piece of paper. I could not make anything of it as the mobile phone was stolen from my bag and I was witness to it,” Soma Chakraborty, a company executive, told Metro.

Soma was asked to narrate the incident 10 times to different people, starting from the constable who intercepted her at the gate to Alipore police station. Only after that was she allowed to see a senior officer. The officer then spent time enlightening her on the difference between a general diary and an FIR (first information report).

He advised her to make a diary entry instead of filing an FIR because the second option would inconvenience her and the company that gave her the mobile phone for official use. “He said that if I filed an FIR, a representative of my company would have to appear in court and produce various documents, including evidence of purchase (of the mobile phone),” Soma said.

On whether the recommended option would maximise the chances of her getting back the mobile phone, one of the officers said: “That we cannot guarantee.”

After spending over an hour at the police station, Chakraborty returned home with a diary memo. “I did not say much as I did not want to create complications for my employer. They gave me a small paper with GD No. 946, dated June 10, written on it,” she said.

Soma was alighting from a bus on route 17 at the Alipore Road-Chetla crossing around 8.30pm on June 10 when she felt someone tugging at the zip of her handbag. On turning around, she saw a youth fleeing with her mobile phone.

“I was helpless and could not do anything as the youth, aged between 16 and 19, fled towards the slum adjacent to Janpath service station,” she said.

J.N Dhole, the officer-in-charge of Alipore police station, said he would conduct an inquiry. “I am on leave and will look into it after I join,” he said.

The deputy commissioner of police (south), Rajesh Subarno, declined comment. “She (Soma) has not lodged any complaint with me. I will look into the matter if I receive a complaint,” he said.