Madikeri: Following an emotional appeal by a nine-year-old girl to help track her deceased mother’s mobile phone, Kodagu Police has put her number as well as IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number on a tracker.


This came as an emotional message on social media by the girl Hrithiksha, who lost her mother – a daily wage worker in Kushalnagar – to Covid-19 earlier on May 16, went viral on Sunday.


Stating that the mobile has a lot of memories of her mother, the nine-year-old appealed to the people, who might have taken her mother’s mobile at the Covid hospital in Madikeri to give it back.


Madikeri Deputy Superintendent of Police B. P. Dinesh Kumar said the number was put on a tracker soon after they saw the message but this number remains switched off as of now.


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“We had hopes that she might find her phone in the Covid hospital. There are around 10 phones which have remained 'unclaimed' but unfortunately, she couldn't find her phone,” IANS quoted the police official as saying.


The Deputy Superintendent of Police further said the phone’s last location (before it was switched off) within a 10 km radius of the hospital is a clear indication that the mobile was stolen.


“We have tracked the last location, our search is on, we will find this phone soon. The thief may change the SIM card and may keep it dormant for some time. We are very close to solving this case,” Kumar said.


“The phone was switched off when the girl and her family members tried calling the deceased (Prabha) on Saturday (May 15) and the next day the family was told that Prabha had succumbed to the deadly virus,” he added.


Hrithiksha’s mother fell ill two weeks ago and was hospitalised in Madikeri after testing positive for Covid-19.


Meanwhile, a team of volunteers from the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) office met the family to hand over a new phone to the girl, who is a student of Class 4 in Kushalnagar.


“Since an FIR is also registered in this case, we've also requested police authorities to catch the thieves quickly,” IYC national president Srinivas B. V. tweeted.