A Mumbai-based software engineer successfully tracked down her stolen mobile phone after it was snatched at Varanasi’s Assi Ghat, an incident that led to the suspension of the local police outpost in-charge for alleged negligence, officials said.

The incident took place last week when Ankita Gupta, a resident of Mumbai’s Ghatkopar area, was visiting Varanasi with her family. During the heavy crowd at Assi Ghat, an unidentified individual allegedly snatched her phone and vanished into the throng.

Gupta filed a police complaint, prompting a formal inquiry. With assistance from her friends, she was able to trace the phone to a house in the Manduadih area and informed the authorities.

A police team raided the location based on her tip-off, recovering Gupta’s phone along with 12 other stolen mobile devices.

Following the recovery, Deputy Commissioner of Police Gaurav Kumar ordered an internal probe, which found negligence on the part of the Assi police outpost in-charge. The officer was suspended on January 4, officials confirmed.