I filed a police complaint at the Chennai Police Commissioner's Office, Vepery [very near the newspaper Dhina Thanthi office] on Monday, 20th July 2015 against my stalker and his employer (plus others who I have submitted are, in my view and as per evidence enclosed, abetting) for stalking, phone tapping, me being kept under surveillance - offline & on the Internet and allied matters.
Since my stalker is a Gujarati by demographic origin & works as Senior Vice President with Reliance Industries Limited, Mumbai [whose promoters are Gujaratis & are seen in the media to be close to the ruling Indian Central Government with a Gujarati Prime Minister], I am very uneasy and afraid that I may be harmed / killed / kidnapped / raped / falsely implicated in something to scuttle my police complaint and its amicable resolution.
Due to this fear, I have uploaded my police complaint and the over 700 pages of printed evidence I gave them plus a CD I have submitted to the police (with evidence like photos etc.).
Anyone reading this - be it the general public or any form of media [print, web, video/TV, radio, social media and any other form of public dissemination - please do NOT publish anything without my prior written consent - when I am still alive. When I am still alive, I am entitled to India's fundamental right to privacy [which is a part of right to life] and therefore, without my prior written permission, nothing about me should be published [because I am a private individual without any law history as on the date of this blog post and thus far].
This blog post is being written by me, in exercise of my free speech in the Indian Democracy ONLY because I fear I may be killed and I am leaving this blog post as an evidence along with the uploaded police complaint and annexures thereto. So, only if I am dead / rendered incapacitated / raped / kidnapped / falsely implicated in some case after today, should this be used as evidence and the people I have named in my police complaint be held suspicious for my harm / death.
Even though this blog is public and therefore this blog post is public, I am leaving this here as evidence just in case something untoward happens to me - therefore, when I am still alive, kindly do NOT reproduce or quote or drag me into any controversy - without my prior written permission. This applies to media of any form and private individuals. I do NOT want my details splashed around without my prior written permission, when I am alive. If I am dead or injured/harmed to render me incapacitated or if I am falsely implicated in some case beyond this date, this should be used as evidence to save me.
The police complaint along with all the matter submitted to the police as evidence accompanying the complaint [700+ pages of printed paper evidence plus one CD] have been uploaded here in this main folder:
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0Byds_ZIvjbjSfnVnZ3ZpM0hSbndidnFySTlmRFNOeEFWeThQQmYtemtlaTNXOUM0SmhQa1k&usp=sharing
There is also a sub-folder with photos and other evidence submitted to the police on that one CD:
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0Byds_ZIvjbjSflltV0pPZ21ac19XVE5fcFZ5aE9IU0RuWGo5VGZUMVZSTGtOTE1IWkM4MUE&usp=sharing
The acknowledgement the Commissioner of Police office gave for my aforesaid complaint is reproduced below:
Background:
I am a native Indian woman citizen, resident at the same address in Chennai for the last 25 years with no law history.
I am quite highly educated in Finance, Corporate Law with additional qualifications in computers & application software.
I had written this blog post on my stalking nightmare in May 2014.
My stalker (the plaintiff) had, without any notice to me (which is, actually, against principles of natural justice), filed a civil defamation case in the Mumbai High Court in end-June 2014. I did not even know until the first order was passed by the Mumbai High Court that I should not write about my stalker.
Only after that order, my stalker's lawyers sent me the same - so by the time I even got to know, for the first ever time, it was 30th June 2014 or thereafter.
I had never gone to the media and had in fact, soon after the blog post was written, same night, emailed my stalker to please come forward and close my trauma so I can withdraw the blog post. Nothing happened. He has throughout operated from the background never coming forward.
The case number in the Mumbai High Court is:
SL/613/2014 with a new number in 2015 as S/301/2015.
Associated Notice of Motion NMSL/1466/2014.
Associated Chamber Summons:
CHSL/1161/2014
CHS/1016/2014 and CHSL/1487/2014
LPETNL/186/2014
Because no lawyer would represent me, under deep trauma [even the postman to my residential locality during those 6 months was a changed new person - not the person who used to be with us for decades earlier] because of one registered post after the other from my stalker's lawyers - I finally, making use of my corporate law education, researched and studied 'Civil Defamation' provisions and discovered that truth is the ultimate defence for it and as long as I had written the truth and can prove to the Court that what I had written was substantially true, nothing can be done to me. So, I wrote down, signed my entire defence along with all the evidence and sent it (a) by Govt. post with acknowledgement cards (b) by email to the (1) The Judge under whom the case was listed then (2) The Registrar General (aka Protho Notary & Senior Master of the Original side of the Mumbai HC). Email read receipts have been received [I embed my email with software that specifically says which IP address reads the email when]. All of this have been provided as evidence with the Police complaint.
The Registrar General (Protho Notary) wrote to me saying I should not write to the Judge and should appoint a lawyer. I wrote back to him I am unable to appoint a lawyer and I fear the plaintiff and his connections are ensuring the same.
After that, in November 2014, the Court passed an order that I should be provided an advocate. That was it. NOTHING happened thereafter - today, we are in end July 2015. However, soon thereafter, suddenly, with nothing being told to me, the Mumbai High Court suddenly appears to have raised 'office objections' over the plaintiff's case and many components of the case stood dismissed. Afraid that it must not be some backdoor withdrawal of the case, I again wrote to the Registrar General that the case must NOT be allowed to be withdrawn or dismissed - in which case, the Court would have utilized to merely intimidate and threaten me. Things stand here. The alleged third defendant, I have suspected was planted and the second defendant Google appears to have taken themselves out of the case [nobody informed me anything - I am merely coming to that conclusion observing publicly uploaded documents regarding the case on Mumbai High Court's website].
Further, I have submitted in my police complaint that my Vodafone mobile number 98840 50200, a number I have held in my name, as a postpaid connection throughout, all the while with Vodafone [in 2002, when I first got it, it was with Orange, then became Hutch, the Hutchison Essar and then slowly Vodafone] has been tapped since July 2014.
How do I know my phone has been tapped?
- I suddenly heard strange click sounds even when the phone was idle;
- Every time I made a call, there was tell-tale change in volume as well as signal display
- Every lawyer I spoke to - after the case was filed - went silent or refused to help me, after the first call.
- Every recruitment consultant and employment engagement I had over that phone went silent after the first call.
- When I reported to Vodafone and filed a complaint, my access to human customer care agents was cut off [I could only hear music and nobody would come - later, that option itself was not present in IVR - the option that used to say "dial _ number to speak to our customer service agent"].
- With Vodafone India, for my mobile number 98840 50200, I was on a lifetime rental free postpaid connection for the last five / six years as of 2014 [pursuant to a Vodafone scheme in 2008 wherein one can pay an one-time fee of Rs.999 provided there was a certain Postpaid history with Vodafone]. I have been a Vodafone India Club 10 member [those privileged customers who have been with Vodafone India for over 10 years]. Suddenly, in my bill dated August 5, 2014, pertaining to the period July 2014, Vodafone India levied a monthly rental of Rs.99 {Vodafone Basic rental}.
- I immediately wrote to them and went to the Vodafone store and protested. They reversed the charge in the next bill, however, told me (without any reasons) that if I wanted to continue, I have to pay the rental [I suspect this was only because of tapping].
- When I went to the Vodafone store (where I know the staff, by virtue of being a special Vodafone customer for years), I was made to wait over one and half hours whilst they went on a call with their Vodafone legal team - while I was waiting there and could somewhat hear from the sitting area (they were talking from a small cubicle). At the end of the call, they refused to take the complaint letters I took with me.
- I was almost crying and as a woman and as a customer they knew, I informally understood that there was a Govt. order to tap my phone and they can do nothing and they advised me to file a police complaint and that they would cooperate with the police.
- I left the Vodafone store shattered and thereafter, Vodafone India - despite me being on an evidenced 'lifetime rental free postpaid connection' at least for 4 to 5 years, charged me a monthly rental of Rs.99 plus taxes each month. I could do nothing as this number - 98840 50200 was my lifeline of 12 years then.
- Then, slowly, too many fake (sales calls, wrong numbers) calls started arriving on this Vodafone number, despite me being a total 'Do Not Disturb' customer always - ever since that service was started in India.
- I suspected that those calls were being routed / dumped onto my number to probably augment my call volume (to justify tapping?).
- Tired and thrashed that not only am I being forced to pay rental for me to be tapped (for no fault of mine), but am being on top of it dumped with fake calls, I wrote to Vodafone that from a new bill cycle beginning Jan 4th, 2015, midnight, I will not be paying monthly rental and therefore will not be using the phone (though, had I used it, would have gladly paid for usage) - I told them to resolve (tell me in writing why I need to pay rental and if they are revoking the lifetime free rental plan - which they cannot do because it is against prevailing TRAI - Telecom Regulatory Authority of India norms). Nothing happened.
- Vodafone ran mere monthly rental bills from Jan 5, 2015 to March 2015 (with no usage from me) and suspended my number of 13 years with NO notice given to me.
- A relationship manager wrote to me by email in May 2015 asking me if I want the connection reinstated, and I promptly emailed him back with all evidence and requesting that (1) rental wrongly charged from me be revoked (2) numerous customer service complaints from me regarding fake calls be handled (3) my number be restored. He went silent.
- I wrote over half a dozen emails, over 250 public tweets to Vodafone (from my twitter account @phantom_delight) and a comprehensive letter, with all evidence, to (a) Vodafone Nodal (b) Vodafone Appellate (c) Vodafone India CEO office delivered through Govt. of India post with acknowledgement - the acknowledgement cards received back by me through Govt. post and the entire correspondence have been annexed as evidence to the police complaint. Email read acknowledgements that show emails being read from a Vodafone IP in Mumbai have also been submitted to the police. Vodafone India has been DEAD SILENT. My 13 year old number 98840 50200 remains suspended.
I then started using new aircel and airtel numbers I got for myself (in my own name, providing my identity proof) and soon enough, they also started exhibiting the same tell-tale tapping signs. In fact, the airtel number won't even deliver any SMS on time [they arrived with a time lag ranging from a few minutes to a few hours]. Left multiple complaints with both service providers, no use.
Our home BSNL landline and the associated broadband have also been tapped during the same period. All the details have been provided in the police complaint with the evidence I have. BSNL linesmen whom I have known for decades stopped attending my complaints, the AE asked me to leave the service or put up and the JE stopped taking calls. I wrote emails to the Chief General Manager ID where I was blocked after three or so emails. My emails to the public grievance email ID have never been answered. Police have been provided all of that.
I also acquired an Airtel dongle and that has also been exhibiting the same tell-tale signs of tapping [including customer service access barred intermittently or being just put on music non-stop even for 20 minutes], no resolution for complaints, the dongle connects but there is no internet connectivity effectively, my email being read in the background using my own IP while my computer hangs].
Now, for a long time, I was afraid to go to the police - because, I suspected that for my phones to be tapped at that intensity, probably only a special police team can do. And I feared if I went to the police, more trauma lay in store for me. But since nothing would stop, I went to the public grievance cell of the Chennai Police at the Commissioner of Police office in Vepery on Friday, 17th July 2015 in the afternoon. Lady inspectors there - whom I chose to speak with - asked me to come on Monday at approximately 10.30 am or so and said I can submit my complaint like other public members who come and will be taken to meet the Commissioner of Police.
I went on Monday 20th July 2015, 10.30 am.
There were a number of officers seated who were receiving, channelizing and documenting. I was sent to the 'cyber' section [because, along with stalking etc., there has also been tapping, smart phone hacking etc. on my complaint]. I did NOT request to be sent to any specific section - the officers chose.
The person there asked me for 3 copies of my complaint [all the others were asked only 2 and I was told to bring 2 and I took 2]. So, I hurriedly went out there, nearby, took an additional photocopy and went back. When I went back, the officer in charge of documenting merely took my 4th copy but did not seat me and write anything [for all the others, I saw him seat them and write as they narrate]. I asked him if I can sit and he will write down to which he replied, "i have already written myself; you go and sit and you will be called around 1 pm to go meet the Commissioner when everyone goes up"].
I waited and around 1 pm, walked up to him and reminded him that I should not be left out - at that point, seated behind him and keying something into a computer (whilst the officer I was speaking to was holding my complaint in his hands and whispering into this seated officer's ears) was (I later learnt) an ADCP - Cyber. ADCP stands for Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police.
That ADCP - Cyber [whose first name begins with the letter 'V'] told me, "he will give you an acknowledgement" - which is the image I have reproduced above.
I took the acknowledgement and waited.
When names were called out and people stood in a line in front of the elevator to go up to meet the Commissioner of Police (in a group, with each person getting a 5 minute or so slot to speak), my name was also called out and I also stood in the line.
Getting nearer to the elevator, I told the women officers there, "I am asthmatic from the age of puberty due to my maternal grandfather being a chronic asthma patient and therefore I am claustrophobic and cannot take elevators with multiple people - if you can kindly check me and tell me the conditions (such as additional frisking, surrendering bags etc.) to take the stairs, I will obey all the conditions and come up the stairs". Initially, they objected but then, one lady officer told me, "I will come with you and you can walk up the stairs up to the floor of the Commissioner's Office". I profusely thanked her for her humanity and both of us started proceeding towards the staircase which was bang opposite.
As we just about set foot on the first step, the first male officer (who had documented my case and given me the acknowledgement slip) came running and said "no need to go up".
I followed him inside a hall he was going to and he did not notice me hearing him telling that ADCP-Cyber that "we have been instructed not to bring her up".
I spoke to that ADCP-Cyber and told him I wanted to go up to meet the Commissioner like all other members of the public. The ADCP-Cyber told me in a very stern and loud voice, "you have an improbable complaint that is not believable. so, we cannot send you up. it will be sent to an agency after which we will see what to do".
I also noticed that the first officer who had documented my case had marked the extra copy he got from me to "JC/IS" - that, I later enquired and got to know was "Joint Commissioner - Intelligence Services". I went and asked him why he marked it there and he said "they will watch you a while"! I was stunned and asked him, "i am the complainant, why would they watch me?". He replied, "oh I meant they will watch everyone".
All the others went up. I was inconsolable and sat there for say 10 minutes or so. Then, all the lady officers there - one particular officer started shooing me away [saying, you have given your complaint, have an acknowledgement slip, please leave - you will be called if need be].
Left with no other choice, I walked out slowly. As I was near the end of the building, a lady officer (whose name begins with 'P') came running and told me, "Mam, you don't have to go - I have been asked to make you seated and wait".
So, I went back in - and after seeing me there, the other lady officers all nearly yelled at me as to why I was back - and I told them this lady officer wanted me to come in and be seated. She then whispered something into many of their ears.
I sat.
Nothing happened for almost 40 minutes so I asked her what is to happen. She told me, "officers from the local vepery police station will come to listen to you".
Thereafter, two male police officers (I know all the names and can identify but am not quoting any here - merely giving first initial in some cases) arrived. One of them was reeking of cigarette smell and I felt very uncomfortable but did not say anything. This officer with the cigarette smell called me and said very softly, "madam, you can come and sit in the vehicle, we will take you". I was stunned. I asked him, "i am the complainant, I came to meet the Commissioner and his officers in the main Commissioner of Police office; I am not an accused, so why would I sit in a Police Vehicle? That too, with 2 male officers who have arrived with not a single woman officer?".
He did not answer me. Both those male officers sat down. I also sat down.
I then wanted to use the ladies rest room right outside that hall [I had gone there at 10.30 am and it was nearly 2 pm]. That lady officer who was very loud n had yelled at me said "leave your bag here and you can go". I did as she said and when I came out of the rest room, saw her standing there - when I questioned if she was ensuring she followed me, she meekly said, "i also used the rest room". she followed me back into the hall.
When I came back to the hall, those two male police officers from the Vepery police station had left.
I then saw that lady officer (name beginning with P) who had asked me to wait come to me and she said, "a lady ADCP will come to meet you".
I waited and quite a while after, nearly 3 pm, a lady ADCP whose name begins with the first letter 'S' and who is in charge of the women (predominantly 'anti-dowry' cell) came to meet many of us and met me the last. She told me, "have lunch and come back at 4 pm and you will be directed to the Cyber section on the 2nd floor". She was quite nice to me - very soft, very human, so I took the liberty of telling her, "Mam, but that ADCP Cyber was very curt with me in the morning and told me my complaint is not even believable, how do I go meet them?". She still asked me to go meet, so I came out, went back at 4 and went up to the cyber section.
The same ADCP I was asked to meet was with multiple petitioners (public) and then left for a meeting with superiors, so until 7 pm, I kept waiting there in that hall. After 7 pm, I was called in to meet the ADCP-Cyber. He had an Inspector (whose first name begins with M) with him and both of them heard me for 10 minutes, after which the ADCP left for a meeting and the inspector continued to talk to me for another 15 or 20 minutes. He was very soft and started talking very friendly asking me, "what resolution do you want", "you must get back to walking - it will help you".
I told him I am afraid I might be killed if I push for an FIR, so I am ok if the police can get the stalker and team to please stop tapping and stalking me, give me an undertaking (supervised by the police &/or Court) that I will not be stalked or tapped and be left free and if I am given compensation for the loss and trauma suffered in the last few years.
He asked me to leave then (it was nearly 8 pm) and come back again the next day at 10.30 am because he wanted to talk to me about the 700+ pages and the CD.
I left the Commissioner's office after nearly 10 hours, seeing many others who had come with me actually get the Commissioner's direction that an FIR for their matter be filed, whilst I had not been able to meet or no FIR direction was given for me.
Umbrellas were not allowed inside the Commissioner's building and I had to leave them outside - unfortunately, since I was inside for nearly 10 hours & the staff outside had all changed / nearly left, when I came back, I umbrella was not there. So I walked out at 8 pm in a very cloudy Chennai and soon, before I could get myself an auto or into public transport, it rained very heavily and I was fully drenched.
I came home past 9.30 pm, felt clearly being followed/stalked even then, drenched and the day's events overtook me. I fell ill and could not go the next day 21st July 2015 at 10.30 am. While they took my number on my complaint, they had not given me any number to call them - so I could not inform them anything. I now live alone so couldn't send anyone either.
The next to next day, i.e., 22nd July 2015, I promptly went and met the same Inspector M. He told me he was busy and "there is no substantial evidence in your case, so we cannot immediately file anything, however we have received your complaint". All my statements to him including asking him to immediately reach and ask Vodafone fell on deaf ears. He said he will consider asking Vodafone and I should come next day (23rd July 2015) at 4.30 pm.
On 23rd July 2015, I went at 4.20 pm itself and saw his desk was empty. His neighbor told me, "he has suddenly left for Hyderabad, you leave". I did not leave, rather went further in that department and asked to either meet the ADCP or requested that some other officer talk to me for whatever reason I was called [because Inspector M had not started anything big in my complaint investigation and any other officer could see the pages and CD and talk to me].
A lady sub inspector opened Inspector M's steel cupboard and couldn't find my complaint (700+ pages and one CD) so she phoned Inspector M and told me, "he has refused me to handle; he has not told me where you complaint is; he wants me to take a written statement from you that you attended an enquiry meeting today". I refused to give her a written statement that I attended an enquiry meeting today - because nobody enquired anything! I told her I am upset that nobody informed me that I need not come and I had wasted Rs.250 in conveyance. I asked to meet the ADCP-Cyber. The ADCP-Cyber was away in a meeting so I had to wait until about 6.30 to 7 pm to meet him. In the meantime, I informed the lady officers in Cyber wing that I am going down to the ground floor to find the office of and meet that lady ADCP (Lady S) who was quite nice to me on 20th July. I went down to the ground floor and found her office right opposite that grievances hall , she was polite enough to ask me to wait and that she will talk to me after she is done with the waiting lady complainants. So I waited. She then got called over for some meeting with superiors, so she went away telling me she will be back and I can wait. I simultaneously got a call from Cyber asking me to come up (to 2nd floor) as the ADCP-Cyber had come back. I went and met him. I told him I am uncomfortable the way things are proceeding and that I either want conveyance paid or any officer to do my complaint enquiry today as I was asked to come and had come. he said neither was possible - there is no provision for conveyance and nobody else would do the enquiry. I then requested him if my complaint can please be transferred to any woman officer heading it (and I myself suggest Lady S and said I was scheduled to go down and request her). I requested him to please immediately hand over my complaint with 700+ pages and one CD [it all cost be Rs.5000 to put up the complaint] without losing it. He said he will do.
I went down, waited and met Lady ADCP S. She was good and polite to me, said she will wait for the complaint papers and CD to reach her and then take action. She asked me to come back next Monday and check with her if the papers have arrived at her office. She gently asked me to narrate the complaint and then went up to meet her superior for some signature work and then came back and continued the conversation. And in between, she gently asked me about where I hail from etc., "would you be open to marriage if I suggested a groom?". I politely replied, "Mam, this complaint needs to be resolved before I can do anything in my life as my career and life lie shattered". She left it at that but it continues to bother me if it was merely a well-intending social banter or if she was guided by someone to ask me that (to eliminate me, so to say, in order to render this complaint infructuous - not take it up). I don't know. Grateful for her politeness and thanking her, I left her office.
I left the Commissioner of Police office at 8 pm and came home later.
Feel very uneasy and unsure if the police complaint is going the way it should. It is still early days and as long as it gets handled the way it should be, I am fine - but am very afraid that, in the pendency of my complaint, I could be falsely implicated / killed or otherwise harmed to render this complaint from me useless. Something intuitively is bothering me. So, as I wait for my complaint to be handled, I write this - as sheer evidence - should something happen to me.
Kindly request you - as humanitarian gesture - if not anything else - to please NOT splash / reproduce or give to any form of media - anything without my prior written permission. If I am dead or falsely implicated, this blog post and the uploaded evidence (in my Google Drive, links given above) must be used as evidence. When I am alive, please respect my privacy and do not publish anything without my prior written permission. The Google Drive folders where I have uploaded are NOT public but limited to those who are given the link. That link is given in this blog post merely as an evidence repository for the future, should anything happen to me.
The reason I write this is as evidence as the question that is bothering me is, "if the fence eats the crop, what does the crop do?". By fence, I mean the general governance and law administration mechanism including the Govt & law admin network. If my phones are tapped with Govt. order, are police the ones that would be tapping it? If yes, what will happen to my complaint?
This post is NOT written to defame anyone or attribute anything to anybody - what is submitted to the police is not defamation under law. I have merely created an online repository of my police submissions and created this blog post a potential future evidence should something happen to me - that is all my objective is.
Any pro-bono/humanitarian lawyers and/or women's organizations that want to help are welcome.
Thanks.