Cops Return 346 Vehicles To Owners In Vizag
The commissioner noted that in the first Vehicle Return Mela held on February 19 this year, 152 vehicles were returned, while 320 vehicles were handed over during the second phase on April 24: Reports
VISAKHAPATNAM: The Visakhapatnam City Police handed over 346 vehicles to their owners in a special programme, Vehicle Return Mela, organised at the police barracks in Visakhapatnam on Friday. This was the third phase of the initiative.
The vehicles had been seized by the police in various cases within the Visakhapatnam Police Commissionerate. Once seized, vehicle owners often faced difficulties in retrieving them due to lengthy court procedures. Many of the vehicles were found damaged, with reduced value, after lying idle for long periods.
To address this, the police launched the Vehicle Return Mela to return the vehicles to their rightful owners at no cost. “These special return fairs, which have never been held anywhere before, are being organised to benefit the public,” said Visakhapatnam City Police Commissioner Shankhabrata Bagchi.
The programme was organised in line with procedures laid down by the Ministry of Home Affairs. Vehicle owners’ addresses were traced through RTO offices, the Third Eye application, and police station records by special teams.
The commissioner noted that in the first Vehicle Return Mela held on February 19 this year, 152 vehicles were returned, while 320 vehicles were handed over during the second phase on April 24. In this third mela, 346 vehicles were returned—more than in the earlier two phases.
In all, 818 vehicles have been restored to their owners over the three phases of the Vehicle Return Mela, the commissioner added.