Taken for a rough ride

City journalist Piroj Wadia found herself poorer by Rs 15,000 that she had just withdrawn from her bank account, under rather strange circumstances, Afternoon Despatch and Courier (ADC) reported on May 29, 2009.

Describing the experience in her own words, Wadia informed ADC: "I had gone to the Bank of India next to my old home at Kemp’s Corner in the evening to withdraw cash to pay off bills and buy my medicines, household expenses and plumbing repairs, etc. Since they have an extension counter, I dropped by at 6 p.m. I drew (out) Rs 15,000. Since they had only 100 rupee notes, the cashier who knows me put the bundles of crisp notes in an envelope. I put it deep down in my bag and put my wallet and key pouch on top. I took a cab from outside the bank.

"Inside the vehicle, since the agarbattis (incense sticks) were very heavily scented, and the window wouldn’t roll down, I remarked to the driver about both and as I am an asthmatic, used my inhaler. After that, I don’t know what happened, but I found myself standing on the road, behind the Westside store at Babulnath, the lane which comes out at Gamdevi. My purse was open, my mobile, wallet intact, but the cash packet was missing. There was no cab in sight.”

Wadia told ADC that she saw a man smoking on the opposite footpath and asked him whether he had seen a cab. At first he did not respond, but when she repeated her query he told her "You just got out of that cab.” She then went to the police station where they would not heed her until she called up a family member who is quite influential with the police. They finally took down Wadia’s statement and sent a constable to accompany her to the Bank to check the serial numbers of the notes. The Bank staff was shocked but helpful.

The police repeatedly asked Wadia for the registration number of the taxi, but she had not taken it down. With hindsight she feels "it might be a good idea to unobtrusively take down the number, usually available inside the vehicle, on first getting in.” And ADC cautions that when you get into a taxi and become aware of an overpowering odor, whether of agarbattis or anything else, either ask sharp questions or get out as fast as you can.