A Chandigarh Court has recently imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on a 26-year-old youth for stealing his own car clamped by the traffic police for wrong parking, TOI reported.
The complaint filed against Varinder Singh, a resident of Fatehgarh Sahib, alleged that he committed “theft of the car from the possession of traffic police by removing the wheel clamp.”
As per the complaint, a Maruti Swift Dzire car bearing Delhi registration number was wrongly parked and police clamped two of its tyres and pasted a slip on the glass on March 26, 2019. After a while, when the police reached the spot, they found the clamp broken and the car missing.
The police arrested Varinder the same day and charge-sheeted him under Sections 379 and 411 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and Section 3 of Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984.
During trial, Varinder pleaded guilty and admitted to the prosecution’s case. Pleading for leniency, he said he had come to Chandigarh from Punjab and was employed in Dubai. He said he could not join his employment due to which his family may suffer, seeking a lenient view be adopted while pronouncing the order. He also said he was a first-time offender and unaware about the practice of clamping of wheel by traffic police.
After hearing both the parties, the court observed: “...adventure of the convict in removing the tyre on which clamp was put up by the traffic police and to drive away the vehicle after changing the tyre merits dissuasive and exemplary punishment.”
The court thus sentenced him to undergo imprisonment for the period already undergone by him in custody (March 26 – April 1) and fined him.
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