Eternal Thefts of Endurance

A long time since I wrote nething.. but wid my busy hectic schedule, its kinda leisure to write something on ze blog.. heh! Life was going as fantastic as always, and on 18th, a friend of mine from the gym (Endurance Fitness Club, E-Square) called me up, and told me to come to aqua aerobics classes conducted on 7th floor. I was kinda reluctant, since I was pretty tired, but being positive as always, decided to push myselves, and agreed to meet him at the rendezvous at 7pm.
The lockers on the 7th floor (swimming pool) and smaller and cramped than the ones on the 6th floor (the gym lockers), and to top that, since most were occupied, me and my friend dumped all our stuff into one locker. My friend put a small lock on that locker, and I warned him, that such kinda locks are easily pickable these days, and since mine was a combination lock, it might suit better. So he just asked me vaguely.. "So u wanna put on ur lock?" .. I didnt answer that time, and we went to aqua classes.
Aqua classes were great, I was doing this stuff for the first time, aerobics in water, and we all had a whale of time. I was one of the last 5-6 people to get out of the pool, and since it was around 9 pm, it was also closing time for the swimming pool. I went in, and was having a shower, when that friend of mine shouted from the other shower, "Hey, did you put ur combination lock on the locker?" .. I said.. "No!". He exclaimed,"Man .. are u crazy?.. I have 10k cash in my wallet man!" .. and I was like.. oh jeez, I hope this is not one of the most frequently occuring thefts at Endurance. Thankfully, everything was in its place, and we breathed a sigh of relief.
He seemed to finish his shower before me, and so he changed, took his stuff, and while leaving he told me that he would be waiting outside, and I should join him quickly. So I changed, and in the hurry, absentminded as I am, I forgot to take my stuff from the locker. I went to the 6th floor first, had some chat with gym buddies, and then went to ground floor with my friend and decided to grab a bite. That was when I felt that my pockets were empty, and I sickeningly realised that I had forgotten to take my stuff!
I rushed to the 7 th floor immediately, and when I reached the lockers, there was this cleaner, who was cleaning out all lockers. And guess what?.. Yeah, U guessed right, ALL MY STUFF GONE! For 5 seconds, I was like,.. OH GOD! My expensive cellfone (O2 Xphone 2), My wallet with credit and debit cards, my belt (BELT!!!.. so cheap mentality) .. everything was gone.
Only my Driving License was left behind.. ROFL. It must be becuase, whoever was stealing, must have found it difficult to scoop up the flat paper like license with the other handful things.
I had strong suspicions on the cleaner, even though there were 2 other guys in the shower when I left earlier. But u know wat, it still took for 3 hours to block my Credit + Debit card, and in that time, not a single penny was withdrawn! Later a friend told me, its a similar pattern in all cases, the ready cash from the wallets is taken, and the credit and debit cards are dumped in any trashcan at E-Square!
So its evident, that this is the work of people, who are not good enuf to swipe cards at malls, and empty the credit limit, or that they dont have time to do so. Endurance managaement tells me, "Even the students can take it, u never know!".. But tell me, if it were the students, wouldnt they just go and swipe my card somewhere? What proof will they leave behind?.. Only the name of the place where they swiped, and even with cameras mounted over the cash counter, it still required Police intervention to nab the thief, and we all know how vigilent our Police department is! :) But still the cards are never swiped, which makes me suspect the cleaners even more! But u cannot point a dirty finger at anybody without proof!
I had my IMEI no. of my cellfone stored with me, so I lodged an FIR with Chaturshringi police, and posted a complaint with all major service providers (Idea, Airtel, Hutch and BSNL), so that if the phone was in local circle, and that guy put in a SIM card of any of the service providers above, the phone could be traced. Lets see what happens! .. I have not given up hope, but practicality tells me to forget my dear cell.. I am gonna miss him!
As for the insurance.. well, we all know what a hassle it is! Local vendors seldom fill out the insurance documents while selling the cellfones (Its our responsibility too.. I failed at that), and besides, 6 months before, seeing the rate of cellfone thefts climb sky high, the police removed all the insurance covers for cellfones. So now, none of the cellfones are insured! So convenient for these thiefs!
The most staggering thing though, is the lack of any reaction from Endurance Fitness Club Management. A cellphone is stolen every second day, wallets are emptied, and still no action! It has become like a second business in the Fitness Club, and when a complaint is made, they just tell you.. "We have put signboards at all places to take care of your valuables and lock them!".. but then is that supposed to mean that "Anytime you forget to lock ur valuables, they are going to be stolen!".. LOL. At max, they say .. "Yeah, we will definitely do something about it.." .. Dont know whom to trust, and whom not to trust.. seeing such laid back attitude. After charging 18000 rupees an year for regular memebership, and with thefts occuring at such staggering rate, and with staggering ease, it leaves you just helpless! Maybe I will write in editorials of major newspapers too, lets c what happens, my fingers are crossed!

But one thing is for sure, those who want to join ENDURANCE FITNESS CLUB, might as well think twice before they do so! :) .. Rule of the thumb, No valuables with you please, only clothes to change, a lock, and a pair of gym shoes.. thats it!