Date:09/12/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/12/09/stories/2007120957200300.htm

Karnataka - Mysore

Traffic police drive to detect stolen vehicles

Staff Correspondent

Many cases of vehicle theft have been reported recently

Drive to be conducted at high-traffic zones
and junctions
Vehicle owners told to produce documents
on demand

MYSORE: The Mysore City Traffic Police have launched a drive to check vehicle documents and driving licences in a bid to detect stolen vehicles.

This comes in the wake of fresh cases of vehicle theft reported recently. A similar drive was conducted in August.

“Though we could not detect any stolen vehicles during the drive, we succeeded in disciplining and educating vehicle users to carry documents and follow traffic rules,” a senior police official said.

The City Police Commissioner has instructed inspectors of all police stations and traffic police inspectors to check vehicle documents and driving licences.

The Commissioner has appealed to two-wheeler riders to carry the relevant vehicle documents with them and produce them on demand.

Helmets

He has also urged two-wheeler riders to wear helmets and ensure that their vehicle numbers are displayed properly.

During the drive in August, the police checked about 4,700 vehicles and fined 3,852 vehicle owners for not possessing the necessary documents and for flouting traffic rules.As many as 123 vehicles were seized during the drive.

Documents of 66 vehicles had been seized as the vehicle owners failed to produce the documents on the spot.

However, the seized vehicles and documents had been returned to them after they produced the documents and paid the penalty.

Around Rs. 5 lakh had been collected as fine from the violators.

This time, the drive will be conducted simultaneously at several high-traffic zones and junctions.

Negligence

Sources in the City Crime Branch (CCB) said that negligence on the part of vehicle owners resulted in thefts.

This increased the work load of the police force.

If vehicle owners were alert, vehicle thefts could be prevented.

Teams constituted

Teams had been constituted in all police stations limits of Mysore city to trace those who had abstained from court proceedings for several years now in connection with various cases, police sources said.

Already, the teams had collected information about people who had been accused in various cases and who had failed to appear in court for the past 10 years.

“The teams are in the process of tracing the addresses of the accused and will soon trace them.

They will be produced in the court. Assistant commissioners will supervise the exercise,” the sources added.