Space crunch: Ludhiana police to auction unclaimed case property after November 3

Grappling with space crunch at police station compounds due to seized articles, especially vehicles, the police have asked people to take back their belongings.

The police have also offered to help the claimants with getting ‘superdari’ orders from the court for the release of their vehicles, gold, mobile phones and other stuff. Superdari is handing over custody of something to a person till next orders. By way of this bond, the person receiving the vehicle gives an undertaking on his behalf or on behalf of the person who has authorised him, to produce the vehicle before the police or court, as and when required.

In case no claims are received till November 3, the police have decided to start auctioning the impounded articles.

Ludhiana police commissioner Rakesh Agrawal said there are a lot of vehicles and other seized articles lying in the police stations as case property. The police have contacted the owners of the vehicles and other valuables to get the same released. People can contact the police station concerned with the court orders to claim their belongings on October 30.

The police will release two-wheelers, four-wheelers, mobile phones, gold ornaments and other valuables confiscated under the law.

“We are getting court orders for the process and also helping people through advocates. The advocates have been requested not to charge fees from the claimants,” said the police chief.

At least 4,000 vehicles are dumped at police stations under different cases, including theft, snatchings and invalid documentation,” he revealed.

Agrawal said sometimes people don’t come back for their vehicles because they either do not have any documents, the vehicle is very old or they have already taken claim from the insurance companies. “We will be auctioning the unclaimed articles from November 3,” he said.

Hundreds of vehicles are dumped at 28 police stations in the city and in police lines compounds.

Owners’ predicament

Even as the police have urged people to claim their seized belongings, the task is quite complicated for some.

Rahul of Tibba Road, who is a three-wheeler driver, said the police had impounded his second-hand auto around one and a half years ago. At the time, he had not transferred the vehicle ownership in his name to avoid the fee involved. But now he is unable to get it back. “As the vehicle is in police custody, the transport department is not transferring the ownership in my name. The auto is gathering rust and is already damaged,” he said.

Wanting anonymity, a mobile shop owner on Pakhowal Road said burglars had stolen around 70 phones from his shop, including the ones that were under repair. Later, the burglars were arrested and around 20 phones were recovered from them, of which he managed to get back six new phones on superdari. He is not supposed to sell these phones till the case is under trial. “The phones I got back will be outdated soon and no one will buy them,” he rued.