Ahmedabad: A theft from the parking lot of a school in Manekbaug has raised questions over campus security and the school administration’s response after at least 12 students, aged 15 to 17, found their mobile phones missing from their two-wheelers after classes ended on Wednesday.




The students had kept their phones inside the glove compartments of their scooters and e-scooters parked within the school campus. A parent who approached police said only Android phones were reported stolen and no iPhones were among the missing devices. The students discovered the theft at around 12.30pm when they came out of the school building.




Parents said the school’s response to the incident also left them upset. When the students informed the school authorities about the missing phones, they were allegedly instructed to approach police and lodge complaints themselves. Acting on the instruction, the minor students called the city police control room and went to report the thefts, another parent said.




“The students are minors and the phones were stolen from the parking area within the school campus. The school should have informed the police and assisted the students instead of asking them to approach the police themselves,” the parent said.




The incident has also raised questions over CCTV surveillance in the parking area. Parents alleged that there were no clear CCTV visuals showing the theft, making it difficult to identify the person responsible or establish how the phones were removed. A couple of policemen later visited the school in the afternoon and conducted inquiries for several hours.




Satellite police inspector V J Chaudhary said police had received information about the incident and were trying to trace the accused. However, he said no formal complaint had been lodged in the case and police were acting on the information received.




Chaudhary also said police had received information that three to four phones had been stolen, contradicting the parents’ claim that 12 students had lost their phones.




The school has earlier been in the spotlight for a disagreement related to fees. The latest incident has again put the spotlight on the school’s handling of an issue involving its students, particularly its decision to leave minor students to initiate the police complaint process after an alleged theft on the campus.




The discrepancy over the number of stolen phones, lack of a formal complaint and questions over CCTV coverage have left several aspects of the incident unresolved. Parents have demanded that the school preserve all available CCTV footage and coordinate with police to establish how the theft occurred.