Mobile phones are dangerous, at least for the denizens of the underworld. Take the case of the 600-odd gangsters killed in separate encounters in the past 16 years. In most of these cases, their whereabouts were tracked by mobile usage.

Mobile phones have made the task of the police easy. The bad guys could be small-time robbers or chindi as they are called in underworld lingo or they could be dreaded shooters or artists as they are known in Mumbai's underbelly. But technology has changed how things work in the police force during the past decade.

Earlier, a posse of constables had to fan out into the city to nab a robber after a case was reported. The first thing the investigating team looked out for was a picture of the suspect. Constables were asked to head to railway stations and bus depots to apprehend the suspect.

But that is a thing of the past now. The only thing required these days is the mobile number of the suspect. Even the IMI number would suffice. The investigating team today will simply put the phone number under observation or number chadana as it is called in the police circles. The rest of the things will fall in place.

Within minutes the policeman can eavesdrop on the robber's conversation. Details like the destination where the robber is headed to, the train, bus or plane which he is travelling on, gets known to the officers tracking his case. If the robber is travelling by train, the policeman has to simply take the earliest flight and wait for the prey to arrive. The process has been simplified. The phone has become a blessing in disguise for some.

The same method is applicable for nabbing dreaded gangsters and even terrorists. Tough cops are getting extinct. Earlier, a burly policeman in khaki trousers and a white bush shirt with thick moustache would hound the suspects in the bars, brothels and remote hideouts in jungles until his task was accomplished.

The present day sleuth is suave. He is often in a pair of designer jeans with an immaculate white shirt and mostly wearing spectacles. It is difficult to distinguish a policeman from a senior bank executive. It is not necessary that a police officer or constable should be shabbily dressed. A policeman's nature of job has changed. He is more of an indoor employee analysing phone records or making sense of the recorded conversations.

Police has come of the age. It is hi-tech now!