Rural police seize over 1,000 vehicles in Ernakulam

Police also using CCTV footage to detect violations

Three youngsters near Aluva who ventured out on their motorcycles in violation of the triple lockdown on Wednesday morning ended up having a hard time, as they had to trudge back home on foot.

The Ernakulam Rural police, out in numbers on the road to enforce the lockdown, were not amused a bit and seized their motorcycles, besides slapping them with a fine.

“Booking violators of lockdown restrictions and seizing vehicles have turned out to be an effective deterrent. We seize vehicles for the day, and the persons concerned will have to get them from the police stations concerned in subsequent days. Vehicles of repeated offenders will be submitted to the court and released only after the lockdown is lifted,” said K. Karthik, District Police Chief (Ernakulam Rural).

Since the enforcement of the lockdown, before it was further tightened to a triple lockdown, earlier this month, the rural police have seized over 1,000 vehicles.

With the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) in the district almost fully preoccupied with ensuring the smooth movement of oxygen, the police alone are engaged in the enforcement drive against motorists guilty of lockdown violations.

The city police also seize such vehicles and release them only on subsequent days. “We had cracked down on two-wheeler violators in the early days of the lockdown, and that sent across a message. Also, unlike rural hinterlands, police personnel are present at all major points, and so roaming around evading us is quite a difficult task,” said a senior traffic police officer.

The city police are also using CCTV footage for detecting violations like speeding exploiting deserted roads, the message being that even those who manage to skip police patrol may eventually be caught and fined with the help of footage.

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