Curfew violators fib wildly

Police have seized a staggering 34,000 vehicles, they say motorists give the darnedest reasons for straying out

Many citizens caught for curfew violation have left the police incredulous with their excuses.

Quite a few men told the police they were out on the streets because their wives and mothers were at loggerheads, and they had no choice but to drive around as they couldn’t stay at home.

Others said their wives would starve them if they didn’t go back home with chicken and mutton.

Some said their children were crying and so had to be taken out for a spin.

N Shashikumar, deputy commissioner of police (north division), says a big number were faking their reasons and were just out taking joy rides.

“We caught a resident of Rajarajeshwari Nagar who claimed he was buying groceries in Sadashivanagar. Another showed us medicine strips but the bill was from an old date. We can differentiate between people who have genuinely come out and those who try to bluff their way through,” he says.

Huge numbers

Police have seized a staggering 34,000 vehicles for curfew violation since March 24. Of these, 31,000 are two-wheelers; the rest are autos and four-wheelers.

City police commissioner Bhaskar Rao says he had warned citizens not to bring their vehicles out unless absolutely necessary, but a huge number paid no heed.

“I had advised them to walk to the nearest grocery store and not move around in their vehicles. But we have seen too many violators,” he says.

Rao says the court will ask for original copies of the registration certificate, driving licence and insurance before releasing the vehicles.

While the east division tops the list with 6,000 vehicles, seized from March 24 till April 20, the Central division is the lowest with 1,800 vehicles seized.

Deterrence

Dr S D Sharanappa, deputy commissioner of police (east division), says continuous booking of cases is acting as a deterrent. The situation in the northern part of the city, which has 18 police stations, stands second with the number of seized vehicles at 5,500.

Among the seized vehicles are some expensive two-wheelers that cost Rs 4 lakh. “We don’t have enough space to keep these vehicles. They are currently parked on grounds attached to the police stations,” says Shashikumar.

About 3,000 plus vehicles are in police possession in the southern parts of the city. Rohini Katoch Sepat, deputy commissioner of police, south division, says people are let off if their reason for coming out is genuine.

Dr Chetan Singh Rathore, deputy commissioner of police (central division), says many motorists in the central division were found carrying old and fake passes. “Some of the vehicles are parked in the open ground beside the Cubbon Park police station, others are temporarily parked on the roads in front of the police station. This won’t hinder public movement because there are no vehicles now,” says Rathore.

Punishment

Violators are booked under the Disaster Management Act of 2005. They can be fined and jailed for up to two years.

Why vehicles are seized

• No police-issued pass
• Forged pass
• Impersonation
• Misrepresentation of facts

Some excuses

• Had taken mother-in-law to hospital.
• Went to get medicines (carrying old bill as proof).
• Needed life-saving drugs (carrying paracetamol strips).
• Going to meet a relative admitted to hospital.
• Can’t stay at home because mother and wife are fighting.
• Wife will starve me if I go home without buying chicken.
• Child was crying. Brought her out for a ride to calm her down.

How to get vehicle back

These vehicles are seized and booked under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and IPC Section 188 (violation of prohibitory orders) and will be released only by the court after the lockdown ends.

The owners have to produce original documents and secure a judicial order to get their vehicles released.

Absence of RC, license and insurance papers could spell more trouble. “The court may levy a fine but the owners will also have to pay the lawyers, and go from pillar to post to procure documents they may not have. This is a time-consuming affair and may cost the owner more than the fine itself,” says police commissioner Bhaskar Rao.