In the last 45 days, 3 laptops that have been reported stolen from hostel rooms of Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI) at Matunga road have left the students in a state of fraught. Repeated complaints to the local police and college directors have not been able to contain the issue as yet. The latest theft which occurred on 9th August has been reported with the local police who are still investigating the mystery of who is responsible for these thefts.
The hostel campus has 4
buildings (A, B, C and D) of which all the 3 thefts have taken place in block C
and D. There are also residential quarters adjacent to the hostel building for housekeeping
staff and other college workers. The institute claims to have security guards
from the Maharashtra Security Board posted 24/7 and CCTV cameras installed at
all four gates of the hostel campus. Each student has to display their ID card at
the gate and every visitor is asked to make a record in the logs book while
entering. The girls’ hostel also has an audit book which keeps a record of what
time each resident enters and leaves the hostel. Despite such prominent
security, multiple incidents of theft and lack of support from the management have
left the students in a state of fraught. “I was speaking to my friend in the
room opposite to mine when someone sneaked inside and swiped my laptop from my
room,” says a final year student.
“We have now started locking
the doors even when we leave the room for a couple of minutes. We lodged an FIR
with the Matunga police, but were given no support from the hostel management
for the same. In fact, whenever such an incident occurs, students are
demotivated from speaking to the police or media.” says another final year
student.
On the other hand, according
to the institute director, Prof. O.G. Kakde such thefts are common to a lot of
colleges in Mumbai and it cannot be confirmed if these thefts happened due to
lapse of security or the students’ carelessness. He says, “We have a Chief
Security Officer who looks into matters and co-ordinates with the police in
such issues. But this time, since the officer was not on duty, students were
given full freedom to approach the police. Sub-inspectors say police officers from
Matunga police station visited the college and an inspection is ongoing. Beyond
this, it is not our duty to follow up with them.”
A CCTV recording from
last month has caught a suspect on camera with the stolen gadgets in hand
entering and leaving the hostel premises at 6 in the morning. However, the
authorities say they do not recognize the person and there is no record of his
entry in the logs book as well. Students are worried as to how could someone
from outside college enter the campus without permission. “There are so many
people on campus itself, not just students but residents, professors, college
workers; so students should be more careful about their belongings,” says Prof
Kakde.
As of today, the police
have not identified any suspect in the case. Campus security hasn’t been beefed
up to the extent to prevent trespassing and hostel authorities have asked
students to take responsibility themselves.