MS Dhoni's 'stolen' mobile phones recovered by Delhi police

What’s the story?

Former Indian captain MS Dhoni’s mobile phones, which went missing during a recent fire accident in New Delhi, have been recovered. Preliminary investigation has attributed the entire case to the unintentional mistake of a staff member of the Welcome Hotel in Dwarka where the wicket-keeper batsman was staying.

A senior police official privy to the developments revealed, “It was an error of judgment on the part of the person who took the phones. He and a couple of other staff had entered the cricketer’s room to sanitise it. He took away the phones without knowing their ownership. When the police contacted him, he accepted and handed over the devices to us.”

A statement from the Welcome Hotel insisted, “The investigation has indicated no involvement of the hotel staff and no FIR has been registered against us. We have fully cooperated with the authorities in their investigation.”

The Background

Dhoni participated in Jharkhand’s campaign in the 2017 Vijay Hazare Trophy. A couple of days ago, a fire broke out in the Welcome Hotel where the players were staying. Thankfully, there wasn’t any untoward incident and the cricketers were rescued in time before being escorted to another hotel. Their semi-final clash against Bengal was rescheduled to Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium by a day.

The heart of the matter

During the fire, Dhoni’s three mobile phones containing vital information related to Indian cricket were allegedly stolen. He immediately filed a complaint with the Dwarka south police station and a case was registered. In his statement, the veteran claimed that he had left the phones in his hotel room while leaving for breakfast. When the hotel staff entered the room to pack his belongings, the mobiles were not to be found.

The right-hander has had quite an eventful tournament both on and off the field. Aside from having to contend with the fire accident and the missing phones, Dhoni found himself dealing with fan worship in the middle of his batting. With Jharkhand losing the semi-final by 41 runs, he was reportedly visibly upset in the dressing room.

What’s next?

Dhoni’s next assignment will be for Rising Pune Supergiants in the 2017 IPL. Having led teams for a sustained period of time, it will be interesting to see how the gloveman responds to the prospect of playing under Steven Smith’s captaincy.

Author’s Take

With the Delhi police recovering the three mobile phones in quick time, the matter seems to be resolved for now. Needless to say, Dhoni will be heaving a huge sigh of relief before moving on with his work.