Navi Mumbai: What began as a worrying evening for a senior naval veteran ended with relief and gratitude after the Navi Mumbai Police swiftly recovered his stolen laptop bag and returned it to him within hours.

Commander Kamaljeet Singh Bhatti (Retd), a Seawoods-Nerul resident, was driving home from Khairne MIDC around 6.15 pm on October 3 when a man posing as a passerby signalled that his car appeared to have an oil leak. As Bhatti slowed down, another man approached. He stopped to inspect the vehicle and noticed oil splashed across the left side of the bonnet.

However, there was no leak. Moments later, Bhatti realised that his laptop bag was missing. It contained his laptop, diaries, important documents, the vehicle’s RC papers and a mobile phone. Local commuters told him they had seen two men fleeing with the bag.

Bhatti immediately approached Turbhe Police Station, where the duty inspector, Patil, assigned Constable Srikant Khedkar to assist with the inquiry.

The police soon got a crucial lead when Bhatti’s second mobile phone was dialled. Police Constable 4103 Sachin Dhale of Rabale Police Naka Chowky contacted Bhatti after the bag was found. The RC papers inside helped the police obtain his contact details and trace him.

The bag, along with the laptop and important documents, was returned to Bhatti later that evening.

Bhatti and his family expressed their gratitude to Senior Police Inspector Sunil Dattatreya Shinde and the Turbhe police team, along with Dhale and Head Constable 2167 Ganesh Patil of Rabale Check Point, for their prompt response.

“The quick response of the police prevented a major loss for me and restored my confidence in the Navi Mumbai Police force,” Bhatti said.