Kozhikode police to hold e-auction of unclaimed vehicles from Dec. 6

Unclaimed rusty vehicles impounded in various criminal cases are yet to be auctioned off at the Kozhikode Town police station.
| Photo Credit: K. Ragesh

The Kozhikode City police will auction nearly 500 vehicles impounded in criminal cases and later abandoned at police stations. The e-auction, limited to unclaimed vehicles free from all court proceedings, begins on Friday (December 6).

Kozhikode City traffic police station has the highest number of such impounded vehicles. Motorcycles top the list of unclaimed vehicles, occupying huge space at police station compounds. District Police Chief T. Narayanan initiated the e-auction following a State-level directive to free up space at 19 police stations in Kozhikode city limits for more productive use.

Those registered for the online auction can inspect the vehicles on Thursday (December 5). The vehicles, currently under the custody of Station House Officers, will be made available for inspection. The auctioning procedures will be carried out under Section 56 (Police action in respect of unclaimed vehicles) of the Kerala Police Act, 2011, which governs police action on unclaimed vehicles.

“The e-auction will be conducted on the official e-commerce portal of Metal Scrap Trade Corporation (MSTC) Limited, a public sector unit under the Ministry of Steel. It will run from 11 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.,” said a Station House Officer involved in the process. He added that all vehicles were classified as “scrap”.

The police plan to repurpose the cleared space for productive uses, such as expanding parking areas or creating gardens. Several police stations in Kozhikode city and rural areas have already undertaken similar initiatives with approval from higher authorities after removing abandoned vehicles.

Despite multiple State government orders for the speedy clearance of abandoned vehicles at police stations and dumping yards, delays in court proceedings have reportedly slowed the e-auction process. The police said that the poor condition of vehicles had also resulted in minimal interest from buyers.