It's not uncommon for the traffic police to lock the wheels of a car parked in a no-parking zone; but for the civil police to use the same methods for a vehicle parked right outside the owner's residence and then demand a fine ranging between Rs 300-1,000 is nothing short of bizarre. The police for their part, though, claim wheel-locking is part of an awareness drive to help reduce thefts of two- and four-wheelers in areas like Madiwala, Viveknagar, and Electronics City.
Residents, however, don't seem to be enthused about the means employed to drive home the message. A resident of Ejipura was recently stunned to find the wheels of his Bolero locked though the vehicle was parked right outside his home in a residential area with no parking restrictions.
What followed was a four-hour long argument with the cops at Viveknagar station with the resident threatening to report the matter to senior officials if the wheel lock was not removed without a fine.
An eight-hour wait
"Around 12:30 pm last Thursday, I got a call from my family informing me the front wheel of our Mahindra Bolero, which was parked right outside our house, had been locked. Surprised, my brother and I went to the Viveknagar police station around 4:30 pm, where a woman sitting at a desk told us it would cost Rs 300 to get the lock removed. Another cop piped up that the fine was Rs 1,000. Despite telling them the vehicle was parked in front of our own home, the cops persisted. We were made to wait till 8:30 pm or so when a sub-inspector called Mohammed came to the station," the victim told Mirror.
The SI, who is said to have spoken cordially, advised the men about the increase in vehicle thefts in the area and how they were better off buying a wheel lock to protect their vehicle. "We were told to buy a wheel lock from a shop in Madiwala for Rs 2,500; the lock on our Bolero was finally removed around 9:30 pm without us having to pay a fine. We were warned that the wheel would be locked again if the vehicle was found parked without a lock. The concept is very strange," the resident added.
When contacted, the Viveknagar police defended their action. "Areas like Ejipura, Electronics City, Sarjapura, and Madiwala are prone to vehicle thefts. Most people park their vehicles randomly in congested lanes and go off for hours and days on end. The traffic police use wheel locks for wrong parking, but we use wheel locks to create awareness. It's not just our station, but others as well, who have resorted to locking the wheels of vehicles that are thought be parked suspiciously. We also stick a notice informing the owners to contact the local police, after which the lock would be removed and the public counselled about ways to prevent vehicle theft," a police official said.
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