The Navi Mumbai traffic police’s project to digitise traffic offences and an alert police constable’s actions helped solve the case of a stolen vehicle. The constable was able to track down the details and history of a suspected two-wheeler, with the help of digital records of the vehicle available with the police.
Constable Pratibha Patil, who works at the head office of the Navi Mumbai police commissioner, was awarded `1,000 by the police commissioner Ashok Sharma on Tuesday.
Ms Patil (25), who lives in Thane, travels to Belapur on the Harbour Line. “For the last one month, I kept seeing a Hero Honda (MH-06-AB-4775) motorcycle parked at the Kamothe railway station parking lot. The motorcycle would be missing while I was on my way back. However, after a few days, I noticed that it was parked there at all times. This seemed odd, and made me sense that something was wrong. Although people park their two-wheelers overnight and even for days together at railway stations, there was something odd about this particular case. Hence, I decided to investigate the matter,” Ms Patil said.
On Saturday morning, while on her way to work, Ms Patil got off at the station, and noted the registration number of the motorcycle and then proceeded to work.
“I accessed the traffic police’s data and typed in the registration number, which quickly threw up all the details. When I found out that the motorcycle was stolen from Kalamboli earlier this year, I immediately informed my superiors. The stolen vehicle was immediately brought to the police station,” she said. The Navi Mumbai traffic police had started digitising records of all traffic offences starting from January this year.
Shrikant Pathak, deputy commissioner of police (crime) said that they are honoured Ms Patil for her presence of mind with a reward from a special fund under the powers allotted to the police commissioner. “We require alert officers like Ms Patil, and we are proud to have her as a part of our force. This goes to show their dedication towards their job,” he said.