Sick of car lifters, Kovai cops puncture tyres

COIMBATORE: Nearly 100 cars in suburban Edayarpalayam that were parked on the roads were found with flat tyres on Thursday morning. Residents here claimed beat police had deliberately deflated the tyres in an attempt to prevent vehicle thefts, since it is the most crime-prone area in the district. “On Wednesday night, even though 20 policemen were patrolling the area,thieves drove away with a car parked on the road,” said Thudiyalur inspector Sukumaran. While admitting that constables on night rounds could have deflated a few tyres, he doubted the claim of the residents that almost 100 cars were targeted. “They are exaggerating. We had instructed the residents not to park vehicles on the roads as thieves are targeting only those vehicles parked on the roads. The constables might have punctured the tyres to force the residents to park the cars inside their premises,” Sukumaran told Express.However, Coimbatore (Rural) District Superintendent of Police E S Uma disapproved of the action.“The constables should not have done this. They should have asked the residents not to park their cars on the roads. After the residents brought this to my notice, I have instructed the police to stop such acts. We have formed special teams to trace the stolen cars,” she told Express.Meanwhile, lawyer V Victor said: “This is completely illegal on part of the police. Parking on the roads is an offence. But, destroying somebody’s property is also an offence. Police can only take legal action, but not commit another offence on an offender to deter him.”