Bhubaneswar: Vehicles seized in various cases have been piling up for a long time on the premises of Infocity police station, raising concerns over the shrinking space in the police station compound. The vehicles, which have been lying there for several days, are also covered with overgrown weeds and creepers.
This has caused fear among the complainants visiting the police station of encountering venomous reptiles. Police seize vehicles during investigations into various criminal and accident cases. Many of the vehicles remain at the police station until the investigation and legal proceedings are completed.
As a result, the number of seized vehicles continues to increase with each passing day. The situation has raised a crucial question asto where a vehicle seized in a new case should be kept on the already congested police station premises. The accumulation of seized vehicles could also affect the movement and parking of people visiting the police station with various complaints.
Officials said the space crunch could be eased to some extent if legal proceedings involving vehicles that have been lying at the police station for a long time are completed quickly. Ensuring the safe storage of seized vehicles while making adequate space available for vehicles seized in new cases has now become an important issue.
Infocity police station officer Mahendra Kumar Sahu said the vehicles had been seized and kept on the premises for more than a year. “The vehicles are returned to their owners after they produce release orders from the court,” he said.
He said some vehicle owners often failed to complete the required process, resulting in their vehicles remaining at the police station for long periods. “Vehicles that have been lying here for a long time will be cleared in accordance with legal provisions,” Sahu said.
Meanwhile, Trin City Commissioner S Devadatta Singh said an advertisement had been issued two months ago regarding the issue. He said the process of auctioning the vehicles is underway. “According to the advertisement, vehicle owners who approach the police station within six months with the necessary documents will have their vehicles returned,” Singh said.
“If no owner comes forward within six months of the advertisement, the vehicles will be auctioned in accordance with the court’s rules,” he said.