True story only for laughs: A quick-fingered police officer caught red-handed

BY  KOSSI GBEDIGA

Cellular phones, like new toys, became very popular throughout Africa shortly after their advent in the late nineties. Everybody wants to acquire one by every means possible. A police officer one day stopped a female motorist on the outskirts of Abidjan, the largest city in Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa. The woman stopped her car and readily showed the documents the officer wanted to see. But, at the time she was about to get back on the road, she noticed that her mobile phone that she had left above the glove compartment had suddenly vanished. She was obviously astonished, because the highly-sought-after phone was sitting right there a few minutes earlier. Plus, she did not leave the car at any time during the few minutes it took to get her papers out.

“But, officer,” the lady asked, “have you seen my cell phone? It was right here just a few moments ago.” The officer got angry and got on the defensive, as he felt that the motorist seemed to be accusing him of stealing her cell phone. They soon started a heated argument, as the apparently tough lady wanted to get to the bottom of the mystery.

At that time, a male motorist who saw them from a distance stopped and inquired about the reason for the fuss. The lady explained what had happened. The police officer, on his part, re-stated his astonishment at the seemingly unjustified, thinly-veiled accusation.

“What’s your cellular phone number?” the male motorist asked the lady. The latter gladly gave the number, which the male motorist dialed right away. And the phone rang loud and clear in the pocket of the police officer who thus brought shame on his otherwise reputable corps.