- A stolen scooter was identified via a traffic challan three months after theft in Hyderabad
- The owner shared the challan and the picture of "thief" on social media and tagged police
- Police traced and recovered the scooter after verifying CCTV and detained the rider
A social media post helped Hyderabad police recover a two-wheeler that had been stolen three months ago after the owner received a traffic challan carrying the "thief's" picture.
The unusual case began on April 7, when a user, Faisal Rahman, on X posted that he had received a challan for his scooter that was stolen about three months ago. He also shared an image of the "thief" that was apparently on the challan. In the picture, the man was seen riding the vehicle without a helmet.
Rahman said a case had already been registered at a police station.
"Today, I received a traffic challan for the same vehicle, and the image clearly shows the thief's face," he wrote and tagged Hyderabad Traffic Police and Hyderabad City Police.
The post quickly went viral.
The stolen bike had originally been reported missing on January 24. The challan had been issued on March 1, but the owner noticed it this week.
Police said the matter was already under investigation and expressed concern that the social media post could alert the suspect and make tracing him more difficult.
Habeeb Nagar Station House Officer T Purushotham Rao said the owner had not informed them about the challan directly and instead posted it online. After the post surfaced, special teams were sent to verify CCTV footage and trace the vehicle.
The search ended on Thursday when police located the scooter and detained the rider.
The bike was brought to the Habeeb Nagar police station, and further legal action has been initiated.
Police are now investigating whether the man riding the vehicle was the main thief or someone who had unknowingly purchased the stolen bike.
Following the recovery, Rahman thanked the police in another post.
"Our Friendly Police Are Truly Outstanding. Our stolen vehicle has been recovered," he said, and thanked the police.
The case has also raised questions about why traffic challans continue to be issued in the name of vehicle owners even after a case for theft has been filed. Many social media users demanded a system to automatically flag stolen vehicles and prevent further penalties from being sent to victims.
