Lucknow: A mere helmet theft at Lucknow General Post Office last month turned into a legal battle when the police refused to lodge the 33-year-old advocate's complaint.
However, a case was registered following a court order.
Recalling the incident, Mr Pandey told PTI on Saturday that his black helmet was stolen on August 17 when he went to the General Post Office (GPO) around 2.24 pm to send a notice issued by the court.
He said it was stolen by some unidentified individual(s) while waiting in the queue.
"The helmet was neither bought by me on a special occasion nor was gifted to me by anyone. However, it getting stolen from inside a government (in the state capital) is definitely a serious issue," Mr Pandey said.
According to advocate Pandey, he was prompted to move court when the local police initially did not register a case of theft.
"I am annoyed by the system and was forced to move court. I don't mind the theft of the helmet, but the delay on the part of the system is hurtful," he said.
The advocate said that he has started avoiding going to places like the post office as a precautionary step to ensure that his new helmet, that was bought 10-15 days ago, doesn't get stolen.
A case of theft was registered against the unidentified accused at Hazratganj police station on Thursday following a court order, Station House Officer (SHO) Vikram Singh said on Saturday.
The case was registered under section 305 (theft in a dwelling house, or means of transportation or place of worship, etc) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Singh said.
Meanwhile, Chief Postmaster at Lucknow GPO Sushil Tiwari told PTI that they have already taken precaution, so that such incidents do not happen in future.
The CCTV footage has been given to the police and surveillance cameras are also being closely monitored, Mr Tiwari said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)