It was a dog day with unpleasant levels of humidity all around. I started browsing through my email accounts and my Man Friday was dusting the same room. Suddenly he eyed a stoutly built man coming out of my office. He came and buzzed off from the office before one could say Jack Robinson. As he saw my Man Friday he tried running away. My Man Friday apprised me of the event. I reacted in no time and ordered him to fetch the miscreant back. He acted accordingly brought back a hefty 5 feet11 inch man. I inquired the purpose of his visit. He said, “I am here to sell tooth powder.” “I don’t want to buy it,” I replied in the wake of putting him off. He left the room in a jiffy.

I finished my job on my Param-9000 and went to my study. I was copying the data that I downloaded to my laptop. Then my Man Friday peeped in. He said, “It is raining outside, switch off the AC”. I responded and opened the windows. The rain was hospitable. It was the maiden downpour of the monsoon. I took off my clothes and wrapped myself in a towel and went atop. I was tubing with the purest form of the water, trying to flash back into my childhood days. I was dancing and singing some Punjabi couplets. It ended after a few minutes as the downpour slackened. I came down and put on my attire.

After a little time I recalled that I had to tinkle my car mechanic. I started searching my mobile phone to make the call and then my Man Friday entered. I requested him to help me search the mobile. We tried a lot but all in vain. From my landline phone I dialed 9888557907 and a mellifluous voice uttered “The hutch phone you are trying to call is switched off or out of the coverage area. Please call after some time.”

I was perplexed as I never switch off my phone during sunlight hours. After taxing my brain a little, I concluded that someone had nicked my phone. I did thorough analysis of the events occurred between 4.00 pm and 6.30 pm and compared my mental notes with my Man Friday. We concluded that that very man, who had intruded into my office, had nicked my phone.

We combed the whole area outside recollecting his face and build. It was still drizzling outside. Suddenly we eyed a well-nigh similar face. I thought to take refuge of an on-duty Punjab Policeman and requested him to inquire that person. He spun into action and in a very dutiful manner and brought back suspect’s business card to me and said, “He is working in an insurance company.” I thanked the policeman for playing a Samaritan.

I was about to give up then an odd idea struck my mind. I thought that the miscreant would have gone to other neighboring people too and someone might have bought his tooth powder. So I started sharing my problem with the persons I came across. I shared my apprehension with my Photostat man who is very active in these types of matters.  He reacted at the drop of a hat and showed me the bottle of the tooth-powder he bought yesterday. I asked him about the man from whom he bought the same. His and my description about the salesman was dissimilar. Then I took the bottle and pored over the content written on the wrapper. I found the website address and started searching on the World Wide Web. I found the address and phone numbers of the company (Company name is not mentioned for obvious reasons). I jotted down the address and phone numbers on a piece of a paper and stuffed into my rear pocket of my jeans. Two men gave me an optimistic response to help solve the case and they seemed very excited. They dialed one of the numbers but I cut the phone line before it rang at the destination. I humbly suggested going to the place directly since it was at a stone’s throw. It was still drizzling. Three of us repaired to the address of the company. We reached in 5-6 minutes. I apprised the person concerned of the situation. He intimated the matter to his senior. I found them responsible and helpful. They responded very politely and offered us chairs to sit in and water to drink. We remained calm to judge their reaction and to give them a few minutes to analyze the problem. The senior fellow with average build and frowning face asked me “At what time approximately do you feel your mobile was nicked?” After a little thought I replied “Sir, it was around 6 O’clock in the evening”. He browsed through some papers and said to me “Sir, the area you belong was allotted to two persons from Himachal and they have not come back till now”. Then he called them and lined them up. “Sir, which one of the two?” he asked. I glanced and responded, “No one”.

In the meanwhile another person had entered and left the office in a jiffy. I inquired and discussed him. Furnishing his details he said, “He is also a salesman but he had gone to some other nearby area.” I reacted promptly and said “I am sure that he is the same person who crept into my office.” They were very surprised and started talking and collecting details about him. He said, “Are you sure, Sir? “I am not sure whether he has nicked my mobile but I am sure that he visited my office today evening. After his visit no one came in my office since it has been raining since 4 pm. Then who else can notch the phone,” I replied with full confidence. Then he summoned that person and asked him to show his cash receipts. He came back and handed over the cash receipt book. He pored over a few pages and tinkled one of the buyers to cross check the details filled in the receipt. One receipt showed the time of sale as 1.30 pm. The other receipts did not have the contact numbers. Then he tried to convince him to accept the charge, but of no avail.  

We left no stone unturned to make the suspect admit the misdemeanor. They even threatened him of calling the police. But he ignored all our pleas and kept protesting. Then I decided to handle the situation myself that was worsening minute by minute. I pleaded them to allow me to have a tête-à-tête with the man. I took the suspect outside. It was a salubrious weather outside. I introduced myself humbly and asked some personal questions. He replied in the same tune. He claimed belonging to a respectable family of a village of one of the royal districts of the Punjab. He befriended me and started responding to even my odd questions. I queried, “Where is the SIM.” “It is not with me now,” he reacted. I concluded that he had the SIM. Then I posed another question, “Then where is the mobile set.” He said, “That has gone.” After taking a sigh he confessed his offence and explained his modus operandi. He said with a lamented head in distress, “Sir, yes I nicked your phone and lost in the escalator or elsewhere.” I took a sigh and thanked the Almighty to show a ray of hope to make me retain the thing closest to my heart. I decided to believe in him. I asked him some other related question required to figure out any solution to the problem. We went inside and I ordered My Man Friday to repair to centre and search for the mobile in every nook and corner of the escalator or at nearby places. He obeyed and left for centre after having necessary instructions. I narrated the story to the company people. As I finished they started chiding him. In the meanwhile the owner of the company also arrived. He assured me and invited us to his personal office and served a cup of tea to all present. After listening to the tale, he ordered his man to fetch a rod from his car. Placing the rod on table he summoned the suspect and interrogated him. All present but I scolded him in chaste Punjabi and threatened him to return the mobile or face the music. He ordered one of his staff to trace his home contact number and address and to summon his parents. The suspect was watching in my eyes for help. I took his message and requested his employer not to call upon his parents and assured that he will return the mobile. Everyone but I was reprimanding him. All through he kept looking at me for help. I tried again to take over the aggravating situation. I uttered some philosophical sentences to calm the situation down.

Finally God rendered him courage to face the situation boldly. He said, “Please give me a few minutes to fetch the mobile”. All felt better and I thanked God the second time. The owner ordered his men to accompany him. They left excited and charged up. Meanwhile, we talked on worldly matters. The team came back with flying colors accompanying fifth person. He was a mobile mechanic holding my mobile in hand. I was watching my phone ad infinitum. Then the mechanic mouthed an interesting tale. He said, “this person asked me to repair the mobile and requested to pay Rs 700/- for the time being.” I asked, “Then what did you do? “I paid him Rs 550,” he replied. I felt sad thinking the cost of my priceless mobile was only Rs 550/-. I got back into my stride and posed the second question, “On what pretext did you pay the money.” He replied, “He created a scene that he badly needed money and will return tomorrow.” The owner chided the mechanic for indulging in an unethical trade. The mechanic felt sorry and handed over the mobile to me. I hugged my mobile and made numerous prayers as thanks-giving to God. It was 11 pm. I thanked the all present and uttered in my mind, “Thank God my odyssey is over.”