Some of the rusty motorcycles abandoned for several years at the paid parking facility near the Kozhikode railway station.
| Photo Credit: K. Ragesh

The police are yet to verify the details of numerous abandoned vehicles at prime pay-and-park facilities in Kozhikode. The parking spots near the Kozhikode railway station tops the list due to inadequate vigilance.

Concerned about potential legal actions, the operators of the facilities seem reportedly hesitant to assess abandoned vehicles and report them to the police for verification. Even luxury motorcycles have been left unclaimed near the railway station premises for more than a year.

“A thorough investigation is needed to uncover the reasons behind the unclaimed vehicles in parking spots,” said a train passenger from Kozhikode city, who recently raised the issue with a parking facility operator. He also mentioned that no operators were responsive to requests for submitting details of suspected vehicles to the police.

The vehicles are blocking parking spaces and reportedly causing inconvenience to others. Taxi operators near the railway station claimed that mechanically unfit vehicles were being deliberately abandoned. They also said that some of the vehicles could be linked to drug trafficking or criminal activities.

“While some operators claim that CCTV footage could help track vehicle owners, retrieving old visuals from low-capacity hard drives would be impractical. Initially, the police must issue stringent guidelines for preparing and submitting the details of such suspected vehicles,” said a retired police officer from Kozhikode. He also suggested that a dedicated squad could easily be assigned to investigate the history of the abandoned vehicles.