From cell phone to cell without phones

NEW DELHI: It should surprise no one that the increasing popularity of social media has even had an impact on crime by creating a new genre called ‘performance crime’, or ‘if you’ve done it, flaunt it’ — a 21st-century take on the old braggart’s motto. But it is commendable that police and other agencies have caught on and use the criminals’ urge to show off on social media to nab them. The case this week of an absconding felon from Uttar Pradesh named Haji Saeed being tracked down and arrested in Meerut because he could not resist posting a photo of himself on a yak at Kufri near Shimla on social media demonstrates the pitfalls of technology-on-tap. Indeed, the information individuals willingly upload on social media — privacy issues notwithstanding — has proved to be a bonanza for criminals and crime-fighters alike.