Owner Gets Challans For 'Scrapped' TVS Scooty: What Really Happened? [Video]
Imagine this scenario. You wake up one day and find a challan at your doorstep, citing a traffic violation by the scooter which you had 'scrapped' years ago! You ignore it for an 'inexplicable' glitch, and try to move on. In the days that follow, you get more challans for violations by the same vehicle. More days, more challans, more bewilderment. Well, this nightmare recently became someone's reality in Kerala's Adoor. A detailed investigation into this unfolded a story that could be an eye-opener to everyone planning to sell or scrap their respective vehicles.
Merlin Alex, a resident of Manakala in Adoor once owned a TVS Scooty. Following a series of mechanical troubles, it was taken to a workshop for repairs in 2022. The mechanic, after a detailed inspection, suggested that it made more financial sense to ditch it and go for a new one than to invest in repairs. Merlin's husband who had taken the vehicle to the repair shop, decided to do so and 'asked' the mechanic to scrap the scooty.
Three years later, the family gets a challan for the very same TVS scooter, citing a violation. Merlin now lives abroad, and the family got worried about the development. Soon, more challans reached their home in Adoor.
All of them were based on AI camera captures, and cited offences like riding without wearing a helmet and carrying up to four people on the scooter. This got the family more worried. They did not know where the vehicle was. What they did know was that it wasn't scrapped and the ownership hasn't yet been de-registered or transferred. The pictures on the challan showed a woman and a man riding the vehicle.
Since Merlin now lives abroad, her relatives approached the local police station with a complaint on the issue. Reghu Perumpulikkal, a social worker with a sizeable following on Facebook soon took the matter into his own hands and shared a post on his page, attaching the AI camera pictures.
The post soon went viral. Reghu asked his followers to identify the people in the picture. Thanks to his massive following, netizens soon traced the people in the images. Then unfolded the other side of this story...
Biju and his wife Resmi, both residents of Adoor, bought the scooter from the scrapping agent, who had repaired it and brought it to operational form. He then sold it to Biju and Resmi for Rs 15,000. Biju connected with the mechanic through a mutual friend.
Even after closing the payment, the ownership wasn't transferred, and no paperwork was done. A post shared by Reghu later on social media says the agent deceased, causing the RC transfer delay indefinitely. Biju and Resmi continued to use the vehicle normally. Why should they hesitate when they have paid for it?
The post shared by Reghu on social media mentions that the vehicle was stolen and goes on to say that ' the people in the picture are now using it'. This essentially blamed the couple for theft! This they say, gave them a lot of pain and shame, as all they did was buy a scooter at a low price.
The police soon seized the vehicle and summoned the couple for further proceedings. After hearing the entire story, Merlin's family confirmed that they had no intention to go on with legal proceedings. As it turns out, Biju and Resmi are now planning to clear the challans and get the vehicle's ownership transferred to their names, from the current owner, at the earliest.
This incident is a sharp reminder of the importance of ensuring a proper transfer of ownership while selling or scrapping your vehicles. Both Merlin's family and the couple committed the mistake of not taking the right route to do the ownership transfer.