एफ़आईआर — First Information Report — is the formal written record that begins a police investigation, and it is the document you actually need. A verbal complaint achieves nothing. Note the causative again: लिखवानी means to get it written by someone else, which is precisely the situation.

These are different documents and asking for the wrong one wastes a morning.

• एफ़आईआर — for a cognisable offence such as theft, assault or fraud. Police are legally obliged to register it, and it triggers an investigation.
• गुमशुदगी रिपोर्ट or lost article report — for something merely mislaid, such as a phone or documents. Simpler, and usually enough for insurance or for replacing a passport.

Insist on the distinction if something was genuinely stolen. Stations sometimes prefer to log a theft as a lost article because it does not add to their crime statistics, and a lost report will not support certain insurance claims.

Worth knowing, and worth stating calmly if needed.

• Registering an FIR for a cognisable offence is a legal obligation, not a favour.
• You are entitled to a free copy of the FIR.
• Filing costs nothing. No payment is required at any stage.
• Women may generally have statements recorded at their residence and, for certain offences, by a female officer.
• You can file a Zero FIR at any station regardless of where the incident occurred, and it is transferred onward.

Two practical points. Bringing someone who speaks fluent Hindi transforms the visit, and hotel owners will often accompany a guest. And mentioning बीमा के लिए चाहिए frames the request as routine paperwork rather than an accusation, which tends to make the process smoother.

Indian police stations are bureaucratic and hierarchical, and patience genuinely helps. Politeness with a calm insistence on the correct document works better than either aggression or excessive deference. Remain courteous, use सर, and keep restating what you need.

For foreign nationals, the sequence for a lost passport is to contact your embassy, obtain the police report, and then apply for emergency documents. Embassies almost always require the police paperwork first, so the station visit cannot be skipped.

A note on corruption: requests for informal payment do occur, though far less than reputation suggests, particularly in cities. Filing an FIR is free by law. Mentioning that you will need the paperwork for an insurance claim, or that your embassy is expecting it, generally resolves ambiguity quickly.

शिकायत has four beats spread evenly. दर्ज has a half-r followed by a j sound. हक़ ends in the deep क़, though plain k is normal. विदेशी is four light beats. And गुमशुदगी is long — break it as gum-shu-da-gee and say it slowly; the officer will recognise it immediately.

• Accepting a verbal complaint. Insist on a written FIR or report.
• Leaving without a copy and the reference number.
• Allowing a theft to be recorded as a lost article when it was not.
• Going alone without anyone who speaks fluent Hindi.
• Applying to an embassy for a replacement passport before obtaining the police report.

1. Report a theft, stating clearly that it was stolen rather than lost.
2. Ask for a copy and the reference number.
3. Explain that you need the document for insurance.
4. Practise the difference between एफ़आईआर and गुमशुदगी रिपोर्ट aloud.
5. Ask whether a zero FIR can be filed.