| 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. 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 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. 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 fulfil Kuttisankaran or collect his whereabouts. The first few days he could locate only the engine/chassis number. Krishnamurthy persuaded the same constable, who came in search of me, to accompany the scooter. For many of 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. 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 money, do support this constable to buy some sweets or gifts for his child when he returns from Trivandrum, after completing the work there. One day, he found a faint scribbling 'KRT 1684' on one side of the spare tire. 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 individual who originally owned the vehicle. 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. Taking a chance, he wrote to the Trichur (Kerala) Regional Transport Officer for particulars of ownership of the vehicle. The constable, on instruction from Krishnamurthy, obtained the contact details 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. He said: "I appreciate your nice gesture. " The next morning the scooter was surrendered in the court in Trivandrum. I do not claim that we, people in khaki, do not accept any gifts delivered by someone who is satisfied with our work. But not from you. 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. I was asked to accompany the constable to Pollachi to identify the scooter and do the needful to get it back. You are our guest from another State. 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. |
Sunday, 4 March 2012
The men in khaki did the police proud
