The men in khaki did the police proud - The Hindu
The men in khaki did the police proud - The Hindu
This article was published in The Hindu on March 10, 2012. Being posted here now on request from some friends who expressed interest in reading the online comments about which I mentioned in a recent conversation...
M G Warrier
This article was published in The Hindu on March 10, 2012. Being posted here now on request from some friends who expressed interest in reading the online comments about which I mentioned in a recent conversation...
M G Warrier
The men in khaki did the police proud
In early 1970s, owning a two-wheeler in Trivandrum was a milestone in a
middle class family's growth trajectory. Availing myself of a
two-wheeler loan from my employer, I too became a proud owner of a
‘second-hand' Lambretta purchased from my friend who moved to another
city on transfer. At that time, the waiting period to get a new scooter
was two to three years after booking. Those days city roads were much
less crowded and one could move slowly, stop and give way to any faster
vehicle, and still be on time at the destination. One could travel from
one end to the other end of Trivandrum city by scooter in less than half
an hour at 30 kmph! Life was so comfortable.
The happiness was shortlived. One Sunday morning, on reaching home after
a short official tour, I was given the bad news that my scooter, kept
locked in the car porch, was stolen the previous night. After reporting
to police and receiving some negative feedback from the insurance
company (a claim would be considered only after police closes the case),
I slowly reconciled myself to the pre-scooter modes of conveyance.
Three months passed and during the fourth month, one early morning a
colleague from office came to my house with a stranger. He was a
constable from the Pollachi (in Tamil Nadu) police station deputed by
Circle Inspector Krishnamurthy to trace the owner of a scooter found
abandoned on roadside at Pollachi (more than 400 km away from
Trivandrum). I was asked to accompany the constable to Pollachi to
identify the scooter and do the needful to get it back.
During our journey to Pollachi, the constable explained to me the effort
taken by his boss for restoring the scooter to the rightful owner. When
the police took possession of the scooter in an abandoned condition on
the roadside, the number plates had been painted black and there was no
easy way of tracing the owner.
Everyday Krishnamurthy used to inspect the scooter to find any mark of
identification on it. The first few days he could locate only the
engine/chassis number. One day, he found a faint scribbling ‘KRT 1684'
on one side of the spare tire. Taking a chance, he wrote to the Trichur
(Kerala) Regional Transport Officer for particulars of ownership of the
vehicle. There was no response.
Weeks passed by, but Krishnamurthy's occasional inspection of the
scooter continued. One day he opened the panels and, on one of them, saw
a scratched writing ‘MSS 2888'. He lost no time writing to the Bombay
RTO giving available details and calling for particulars of
registration. The Bombay RTO promptly responded, giving the address of
the person who originally owned the vehicle. That was the Kerala home
address of my friend and collegemate Kuttisankaran, who had sold the
scooter to me. Krishnamurthy sent his constable to that address with
instruction to meet Kuttisankaran or collect his whereabouts.
Kuttisankaran's sister, who was present at the address, told the
constable that her brother had sold the scooter sometime ago and he
alone would know to whom it was given. The constable, on instruction
from Krishnamurthy, obtained the contact number of Kuttisankaran and
successfully obtained my Trivandrum office address and from there itself
proceeded to Trivandrum.
The day we reached Pollachi was an unusually busy day for Krishnamurthy,
as he had just returned from a site where a villager had committed
suicide. Still he spent about 20 minutes with me, helping me in
completing the identification and arranging for transportation of the
scooter to Trivandrum, where a representative of the Pollachi police
station was to surrender it to the Magistrate's Court. Krishnamurthy
persuaded the same constable, who came in search of me, to accompany the
scooter. For all the trouble he took in helping me retrieve my scooter,
beyond nice words, the only way to express my gratitude that came to
mind was offering him some cash. His response humbled me and I will
remember the lesson I learnt that day from Krishnamurthy for my life. He
said:
“I appreciate your nice gesture. You are our guest from another State. I
do not claim that we, people in khaki, do not accept any gifts offered
by someone who is happy with our work. But not from you. If you strongly
believe that I have done my duty well, please do convey your feelings
to my bosses whose details I will give. If you still want to part with
some cash, do support this constable to buy some sweets or gifts for his
child when he returns from Trivandrum, after completing the work
there.”
The next morning the scooter was surrendered in the court in Trivandrum.
I could get it back just by producing an indemnity and surety signed by
two of my friends and after almost four months gap, I returned home on
my Lambretta.
In compliance with Krishnamurthy's suggestion, I wrote to his bosses
appreciating his work and the constable returned to Pollachi a happy
man, with some sweets and gifts for his child.
(The writer's email ID is mgwarrier@rediffmail.com)
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