CHENNAI : The agony of victims of hit-and-run cases in Chennai is increasing with the police force finding it difficult to track down vehicles or drivers in several cases.

In September alone, three hit-and-run cases were reported in the city, in which the offenders remain untraced.

In the first case, college student Abu Ibrahim of Triplicane, who was riding a two-wheeler, was hit by a speeding car near the Chetpet signal. The car sped away from the spot. No one noticed the vehicle's registration number. The young boy lost his limb. The case is under investigation.

In another case, Nagammal, an aged woman, was hit by a two-wheeler near the American Consulate at the peak hour when she attempted to cross road with her husband. The woman was immediately transported in an autorickshaw to the Government Royapettah Hospital, but she succumbed to injuries. The police are clueless as the offender fled from the hospital unnoticed.

In the third case, Arunkumar of Valluvar Salai in Arumbakkam, who was returning home on his two-wheeler on the 100 feet road, was hit by a heavy vehicle. He died on the spot.

Still not known

As the accident occurred around 2 a.m, the offender is still not known. Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Sunil Kumar told The Hindu that thanks to a sustained campaign against the use of mobile phones while driving, the number of offenders had come down appreciably. "We have now ventured upon a drive against vehicle owners who fail to display the registration number plates as per the Central Motor Vehicle Act."

After giving time to set it right, the police started imposing fines since November 15, 2006. So far, 24,000 cases have been booked and Rs 13.50 lakh fines collected. We found 25 per cent of the offenders to be two-wheeler riders, 10 per cent each three-wheeler and four-wheeler riders. The rest was heavy vehicles, he added.

Such a drive had become essential for a city like Chennai because in many accident cases reported, the vehicles could not be identified, which posed problems for the investigating officers.

Mr. Sunil Kumar said that whenever accidents occurred, public can take down the vehicle registration number and inform the police control room (100) or send SMS at 98418-08123 (Joint Commissioner of Police, Traffic). He said the details furnished would be kept confidential.

Public cooperation

Police officers point out that a major problem for them is the lack of public cooperation in their efforts to trace hit-and-run vehicles.

There is one way out.

Eyewitnesses can call and alert the Citizen for Safety Roads (CSR) at 98408-07960 to help in tracing vehicles involved in hit-and-run cases or help the police. After this, it is a matter of investigation with patience and a lot of work, road safety enthusiasts say.

In the three cases, investigations by the traffic police revealed that a private taxi had hit Abu Ibrahim. The vehicle had a plenty of passengers and it was either proceeding to Egmore or the Central Railway Station. Since there are about 33,000 registered taxis operating in the city, it would be tough to zero in on the culprit. But, some clues from public would enable the police to detect the case.

In the accident case reported from 100 feet road, the police found that the victim was hit by an omnibus. Inquiries revealed that the last bus left the CMBT terminus at 11 p.m. on the day. The case remains there.

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