A youth from Bhubaneswar managed to recover his stolen two-wheeler within an hour, thanks to an unexpected traffic violation challan issued by the Odisha Motor Vehicles Department.
The incident occurred on April 15, when the bike owner parked his vehicle near a playground in the Old Town area. Upon returning after an hour, he found his bike missing. Despite searching the vicinity and reviewing CCTV footage, there were no immediate leads on the thief’s identity or the vehicle’s whereabouts.
With no other option, he reported the theft at the Lingaraj Police Station. Shortly afterwards, the Motor Vehicles Department issued a traffic challan for a helmet violation, which included an image of the offender riding the stolen bike. The youth promptly provided this evidence to the police, leading authorities to track the vehicle to Athagarh. The accused was swiftly arrested, and the stolen bike was successfully returned to its rightful owner.
This rare instance of technology aiding crime resolution has sparked discussion about the effectiveness of digital tracking in law enforcement.
