New Delhi: For women cops working for Delhi Police‘s Mission Reconnect, every ping is a personal test— sending them across cities to recover stolen phones while managing life beyond the uniform. The initiative, which led to the recovery of 580 mobile phones, was driven by the relentless efforts of head constables Anju Tomar, Ruby and constable Neelam. Their days are spent tracking digital footprints, verifying leads and confronting suspects across state borders. Yet the same officers return home, shapeshifting into homemakers—ensuring homework is done, meals are laid out and their children feel supported. Amind long hours, acing mind gamesHead constable Anju Tomar, a graduate who joined the force in 2009, spends long hours during police week analysing SIM data and call records as part of the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) recovery team. Her role involves digital monitoring as well as field visits to various locations to verify claims and confront suspects. “Tracking phones isn’t easy. People lie, switch off devices or keep changing locations. Sometimes it takes days of continuous monitoring,” she says. Her background in science provides an edge to her work with the CEIR team, where she sifts through SIM details and call logs to dismantle the lies of those found with stolen property. Despite the long hours spent monitoring shifting locations, Anju credits her family—especially her husband and children—for supporting her demanding schedule. Handling scepticism and hostile calls In the Crime Branch, 32-year-old constable Neelam, a political science graduate and mother of two, encounters a different challenge: citizens who often mistake her calls for scams. Her work is uniquely challenging; she frequently endures scepticism from the very people she is trying to help, often being mistaken for a scammer. She has even had to field abusive calls and video calls from wary citizens. “People sometimes mistake me for a scammer because fraudsters often impersonate police officers. At times, they even call back late at night. I handle all of this with calmness,” she says.Her responsibilities do not end even if the workday does. Yet, even on her holidays, Neelam remains tethered to her work, tracking signals across state lines and managing the “innocent” buyers who realise too late they’ve purchased stolen goods.Her husband, also a Delhi Police constable, helps share responsibilities, she says. When work-related travel eats into family timeConstable Ruby, who joined the force in 2010, recalls travelling to several states including Punjab, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh while pursuing recovery leads. As a mother of two kids, each field visit means time away from home. Ruby says family support is crucial. Her husband, who works in the private sector, often adjusts his schedule to help with childcare when she is away on assignments.On how she has aced mind games, Ruby says, “Some people willingly hand over the phone because they do not want legal trouble.” Ruby recounts a case in which a man repeatedly changed his location while she was trying to recover a phone. “He first told me he was at one place. When I reached there, he said he was somewhere else. By the time I got there, he had switched off the phone.” After persistent follow-up, he eventually returned the phone, she says. For these three cops, the mission isn’t complete when the data checks out—it’s fulfilled the moment they witness a victim’s relief, a reminder that in a city of millions, their help can reach anyone.
