Mumbai: If you fall victim to a crime in the bustling city of Mumbai, don’t assume that the street cameras are functioning and your footage has been captured. Often, cameras are either switched off or not angled correctly.
One might say that Mumbai Police's "third eye" is sometimes shut or blinks at the wrong time. There are countless instances in the city where crimes occurred, but the excuse was that cameras were off or footage wasn’t recorded.
According to the police, there are 10,000 CCTV cameras across the city. Yet, criminals remain bold, snatching phones in broad daylight and making life difficult for women wearing mangalsutras.
Despite sufficient cameras, how do culprits evade this "third eye"? Why can’t the police trace them? A recent incident highlights this gap: shooter(s) openly shot at politician Baba Siddique in Mumbai and fled, leaving the police searching in vain. Senior police officials avoided addressing this issue.
Case Study 1
In a recent incident in Kandivali’s Samta Nagar, Dr. Prashant Mishra was out for a walk near Viceroy Tower in Thakur Village around 9 PM on November 4. Two motorcyclists approached from behind and fled after snatching his phone worth ₹1.5 lakh.
When Dr. Mishra reported this to Samta Nagar Police Station, officials conducted a site inspection but sent him home after filing a "missing complaint" instead of registering an FIR. So far, neither the culprits have been caught nor the phone recovered.
When asked about this, Police official said, “Our team is investigating the suspects, and we’re ready to register an FIR.” However, she avoided giving a clear answer about whether the incident was captured on CCTV.
Case Study 2
On September 3 at 9:24 AM, an incident was reported in Dharavi where a man attempted to snatch a mobile phone using a sharp weapon. When the victim refused to hand over the phone, the attacker assaulted him. Fortunately, nearby shopkeepers’ CCTV cameras captured the incident, and the footage quickly went viral. Acting swiftly, the police apprehended four suspects.
Case Study 3
On September 13, around 12:15 AM, photographer NG Arun was returning from Bhayander to Andheri when a motorcyclist asked him to stop. Arun ignored him, and the biker approached, snatched his ₹1 lakh gold chain, and pushed his scooter, causing Arun and his cousin to fall. Arun couldn’t note the bike’s number or recognize the culprits as they wore helmets. A week later, his mother noticed the missing chain, after which Arun filed a complaint with Andheri Police.
Lens on the System
It is often found that CCTV cameras at crime scenes are non-functional. Recently, an incident at Kurla Terminus revealed that camera angles were deliberately changed, enabling harassment of passengers by clean-up marshals and the police. The "third eye" exists but is often shut.
Mumbai City Surveillance Project: 12,000 CCTV Cameras Planned, 9,500 Installed
As part of the Mumbai City Surveillance Project, a total of 12,000 CCTV cameras are set to be installed across the city to enhance security and monitoring. Out of these, 9,500 cameras have already been installed, Said BMC official
While the CCTV feed is accessible to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the project is primarily managed by the Traffic Police Department, focusing on traffic regulation and public safety.