Stolen car was traced to Siliguri; a year later, owner is yet to get it.
A middle-class family from Satellite has gone from despair to happiness only to again find themselves in despair over a car. For, Ketu Vaidya, a local trader and his family had their very expensive Tavera car stolen only to have it traced to Siliguri in West Bengal.
But bureaucratic and other hurdles have prevented them from getting their car back almost a year after it was found. Now, frustrated with the police's inability to get their car back from Siliguri, Vaidya has written to the police commissioner asking for help.
The Chevrolet Tavera was stolen from outside Vaidya's residence near Nehrunagar on September 8, 2008. It was later found at Siliguri on September 25, 2008.
Since then the car which costs around Rs7 to 8 lakh has been lying at the Pradhanpur police station in Siliguri. Vaidya's attempt to get an order from the local court to help get the car has also failed. Now, he has written to the police commissioner seeking help.
"We are a middle class family and brought the Tavera with our hard-earned money," Vaidya told DNA.
"So far we have spent more than Rs75000 in trying to get the car back. We don't understand why the police cannot get the car back," he said. Last year Vaidya had bought the car with the registration number GJ-1-HN-341 from a local dealer. He had got a loan from a finance company to buy the car.
However, the family was shocked to find the car missing from the parking lot on the morning of September 9, 2008. Viadya then lodged a complaint with the Satellite police.
A month after the theft, the family heaved a sight of relief when the Siliguri police called Vaidya on his mobile phone and informed him that his car has been traced to a hotel in the far flung town. Three people were also arrested for stealing the car.
The Siliguri police traced Vaidya's contact number from the chasis number of the car. The police contacted Chevrolet company with the chasis number of the car and the company informed that, the car was allocated to a dealer in Ahmedabad.
They then got Vaidya's details from the car dealer.
The car when found had a registration number of Bharatpur district in Rajasthan and further investigations revealed that the thieves had made fake documents of a regional transport office in Rajasthan.
"We have put in our best efforts to bring back the car, but what we cannot do anything as the court in Siliguri has not issued an order to return the car," said PA Sadat, sub inspector of Satellite police who is the investigation officer of the case.
"I went to Siliguri twice and Bharatpur in Rajasthan to verify the fact that the stolen car is of Vaidya but the court is yet to issue an order in our favour," he said.
Vaidya said that since the car is lying unattended at the Pradhanpur police station, it has deteriorated.
"We know from local sources that our car's condition has deteriorated," said Vaidya.
"In such a situation we are not able to claim insurance as the police records show that the car has been found. Meanwhile, we have to pay the installment and lawyer's fee to help us get back the car," he said.
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