Police come asking about my silver Ertiga

triedeverything · 9th June 2014, 20:45

My dad (senior citizen) owns and drives a silver color Martuti Ertiga. Yesterday, someone claiming to be an officer from Ramanagar police station called and informed him that they were investigating a heist of 24 lakhs (on April 24) in which a silver color Ertiga was involved. The police are now asking all owners of silver colored Ertigas (from a particular RTO in Bangalore) to report to the Ramanagar police station with their cars. Alternatively, they want pictures of the car and its documents. My dad and the car have not been in town since December. Ramanagar police station is almost 60 kms from where we stay in Bangalore. Can the process not be made simple by asking such owners to present the documentation required at the nearest police station from where it can be forwarded to the investigating officer? Has anyone else been called? How do we find out if this is a genuine in the first place? Is this SOP when it comes to police investigations? I couldn't find anything about a heist when I searched Google.
I really don't mind passing on the pictures. But isn't there an email address I could send it to? It sounds ridiculous to drive 120 kms in this age of technology. There has been no response on the Karnataka State Police Face Book post
Any help would be appreciated.

ashwin.terminat · 9th June 2014, 21:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by triedeverything

Any help would be appreciated.

You can call this number and find out. It claims to be the number of the Ramnagar Police Station on JustDial:

(03220)265075

ajmat · 9th June 2014, 21:45

Well, they asked for pictures of the car + documents. You could send or email it

whitewing · 9th June 2014, 22:55

I never imagined an identification parade for vehicles !! But with our cops and their archaic methods you never know.

Quote:

Originally Posted by triedeverything

,
I couldn't find anything about a heist when I searched Google.

Found a news item "http://www.mysoretrendz.com/News/newsdetail.aspx?id=27499&y=4/26/2014". So, there seems to have been an incident.

Quote:

Originally Posted by triedeverything

,How do we find out if this is a genuine in the first place?

Call the police station and check with them if this is not a prank.

khoj · 9th June 2014, 23:38

Legally, they cannot force you to go to the police station for any identification parade or exercise unless they have a warrant/court order in the owner's name (your father in this case) for the said purpose.

But then things are barely conducted in a legal manner in our land especially by those in uniform.

Talk to them inform them that the owner is a senior citizen and let them know that you are willing to cooperate but either they accept your submitting a copy of the documents/inspection etc at the nearest police station or they can come to your place. If they agree for a soft copy of the documents do remember to water mark all of the documents with the word "COPY" before you submit them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by triedeverything

My dad (senior citizen) owns and drives a silver color Martuti Ertiga. Yesterday, someone claiming to be an officer from Ramanagar police station called and informed him that they were investigating a heist of 24 lakhs (on April 24) in which a silver color Ertiga was involved. The police are now asking all owners of silver colored Ertigas (from a particular RTO in Bangalore) to report to the Ramanagar police station with their cars. Alternatively, they want pictures of the car and its documents. My dad and the car have not been in town since December. Ramanagar police station is almost 60 kms from where we stay in Bangalore. Can the process not be made simple by asking such owners to present the documentation required at the nearest police station from where it can be forwarded to the investigating officer? Has anyone else been called? How do we find out if this is a genuine in the first place? Is this SOP when it comes to police investigations? I couldn't find anything about a heist when I searched Google.
I really don't mind passing on the pictures. But isn't there an email address I could send it to? It sounds ridiculous to drive 120 kms in this age of technology. There has been no response on the Karnataka State Police Face Book post
Any help would be appreciated.

triedeverything · 10th June 2014, 06:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by ajmat

Well, they asked for pictures of the car + documents. You could send or email it

That I would happily do. They want someone to come to the police station with the pictures.

Quote:

Originally Posted by whitewing

Found a news item "http://www.mysoretrendz.com/News/newsdetail.aspx?id=27499&y=4/26/2014". So, there seems to have been an incident.

Call the police station and check with them if this is not a prank.

I saw this... ignored it since the figure didn't match. Unless the remaining 6 lakhs is the 'reward'.

But thanks for all the ideas... will try talking to them again.

ghodlur · 10th June 2014, 08:12

I find this hilarious and at same time ridiculous too

. Calling all Silver coloured vehicles to Police station - on what basis? What if the information of Silver coloured vehicles itself is falsified? Does the police station even have space to accomodate 1000's of Ertiga's at the same time. Which means each owner will have to wait for hours until his time comes. They could have picked a couple of vehicles at random with info from RTO and sent their team to the owner's place for verification.

ajmat · 10th June 2014, 08:13

Frankly, i would send them copies of the documents attested by a Notary Public. There methods are archaic and wrong and they are not going to chase after every one of the 2000 Ertigas in the same predicament

mpksuhas · 10th June 2014, 09:20

As mentioned by many members earlier it is up to police officers to collect the evidence, anyway leaving that aside. I guess there is no harm in sending documents across, however if this is related to the incident mentioned in news link shared above it is a very daring act by the robbers.
Ghousia college which is mentioned as landmark is located almost opposite to a jail and also the way the incident is mentioned it seems like the miscreants were knowing all the details of the victims and that they were not selected at random. It is pure stupidity on part of police to call up all matching vehicle owners for this.
A word of caution, not sure of the current situation, however around a decade back Ramanagara police had a rule book of their own. Compared to them dealing with police in Bangalore was walk in the park. And also, instead of contacting the number you got call from I guess it is better to check with the police station directly and make sure if this is really required.

Zappo · 10th June 2014, 20:02

Everyone is all over it blaming the process, methodology, police arm twisting and what not! But have you (the OP) tried to do the verybasic thing first? Please check whether this is a valid request or a prank. It take a 1 rupee coin to make a prank call from a PCO to any random number. Agreed this is a little more involving as the person seems to know that you have a silver Ertiga. But then again, one can do this also in 2 minutes.

Bottomline is that you should first check the veracity of this call.

swiftnfurious · 10th June 2014, 20:27

1. As suggested, please check the validity of the call.
2. If yes, please check with the inspector whether these documents can be emailed and if required you/dad can be present in person (highlight the senior citizen point).
3. If they do NOT comply, you might as well connect to the bigger guys (like commissioner of police) where you might get some relief.
4. If you have some political connections, use it wisely (Sorry, but such things are becoming a norm). If you utilize any connections, I would request you to be extra courteous (with the police) as you should NOT come across as a person taking things for granted.

Edit:: On the silver Ertiga front, it could be that the car might have been caught on some cam and there could be some visual identification that they can connect to. I do NOT find a reason why they want the pics otherwise. You may also want to know whether they are specifically looking for any angle / pic of the car. I am really NOT sure they are going to let you know on this front, if they want to keep it a secret & NOT give out a clue.

triedeverything · 10th June 2014, 21:07

I called this guy... and after some negotiations, he agreed to me couriering him the pictures, along with a declaration stating where the car was on the said date, who owns it, who drives it, purchase date,etc.
The address is to the Ramanagar Town Police Station. There were specific angles he's requested in the pictures, including those taken from inside the car.
I hope that is the end of that.
Maybe I should stop watching all those crime stories!

sansvk · 10th June 2014, 22:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by triedeverything

...I hope that is the end of that.
Maybe I should stop watching all those crime stories!

Really found this thread funny, but it happens only in India I guess.
Its the cops that should be watching Fox Crime to get a feel of forensics and latest methods of investigation.

swiftnfurious · 11th June 2014, 10:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by triedeverything

...There were specific angles he's requested in the pictures, ...

Quote:

Originally Posted by sansvk

...Its the cops that should be watching Fox Crime to get a feel of forensics and latest methods of investigation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

...
Edit:: On the silver Ertiga front, it could be that the car might have been caught on some cam and there could be some visual identification that they can connect to. I do NOT find a reason why they want the pics otherwise. You may also want to know whether they are specifically looking for any angle / pic of the car...

Guess they may have some identification items for the car.

Quote:

Originally Posted by triedeverything

I called this guy... and after some negotiations, he agreed to me couriering him the pictures, ...

Sorry, but whats that "negotiation" ?

Soumyajit9 · 11th June 2014, 12:12

Okay, small correction - Police didn't come asking about your Silver Ertiga.
Police (it seems) called you asking about your Silver Ertiga.

Did they ask you - Do you own an Ertiga ? Is it Silver in colour ?
Or did they ask you - We want info about your Silver Ertiga ?
The two questions above are absolutely different from each other.

I am asking these questions because, I get spam calls like this:
Caller: Hello, is this Mr. X ?
Me: No, wrong number.
Caller: May I know your name sir ?
Me: Soumyajit9
Caller: Okay Mr. Soumyajit9, this call is regarding personal loan, blah blah blah.

Never ever courier any of the documents to any place.
Like someone said, incase you are emailing the documents, please watermark them.
Make sure that the email id to which you are sending is something of a government domain (.gov, .kar.nic.in, .nic, etc) and not random gmail.com or yahoo.com email ids'.

So what I am saying is, be careful, if someone is collecting info about your ride.
We all watch crime series on TV. Lets be paranoid. Lets be informed about how criminals operate and be careful how we deal with things.

Moreover, who calls citizens for identification parade without a warrant or court order ? The cops are supposed to visit your place and verify the docs if they suspect anything. You are not supposed to run after them with documents in hand. Feels pathetic at times what kind of govt servants are we dealing with.

9th June 2014, 20:45	#1
triedeverything BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 500 Thanked: 213 Times View My Garage	Police come asking about my silver Ertiga My dad (senior citizen) owns and drives a silver color Martuti Ertiga. Yesterday, someone claiming to be an officer from Ramanagar police station called and informed him that they were investigating a heist of 24 lakhs (on April 24) in which a silver color Ertiga was involved. The police are now asking all owners of silver colored Ertigas (from a particular RTO in Bangalore) to report to the Ramanagar police station with their cars. Alternatively, they want pictures of the car and its documents. My dad and the car have not been in town since December. Ramanagar police station is almost 60 kms from where we stay in Bangalore. Can the process not be made simple by asking such owners to present the documentation required at the nearest police station from where it can be forwarded to the investigating officer? Has anyone else been called? How do we find out if this is a genuine in the first place? Is this SOP when it comes to police investigations? I couldn't find anything about a heist when I searched Google. I really don't mind passing on the pictures. But isn't there an email address I could send it to? It sounds ridiculous to drive 120 kms in this age of technology. There has been no response on the Karnataka State Police Face Book post Any help would be appreciated.
	(1) Thanks

9th June 2014, 21:45	#3
ajmat Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 14,865 Thanked: 27,978 Times View My Garage	re: Police come asking about my silver Ertiga Well, they asked for pictures of the car + documents. You could send or email it
	(1) Thanks

10th June 2014, 08:12	#7
ghodlur Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Thane Posts: 6,010 Thanked: 4,200 Times View My Garage	re: Police come asking about my silver Ertiga I find this hilarious and at same time ridiculous too. Calling all Silver coloured vehicles to Police station - on what basis? What if the information of Silver coloured vehicles itself is falsified? Does the police station even have space to accomodate 1000's of Ertiga's at the same time. Which means each owner will have to wait for hours until his time comes. They could have picked a couple of vehicles at random with info from RTO and sent their team to the owner's place for verification.
	(1) Thanks

10th June 2014, 08:13	#8
ajmat Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 14,865 Thanked: 27,978 Times View My Garage	re: Police come asking about my silver Ertiga Frankly, i would send them copies of the documents attested by a Notary Public. There methods are archaic and wrong and they are not going to chase after every one of the 2000 Ertigas in the same predicament
	(5) Thanks

10th June 2014, 09:20	#9
mpksuhas Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: KA03/KL11 Posts: 3,936 Thanked: 7,341 Times View My Garage	re: Police come asking about my silver Ertiga As mentioned by many members earlier it is up to police officers to collect the evidence, anyway leaving that aside. I guess there is no harm in sending documents across, however if this is related to the incident mentioned in news link shared above it is a very daring act by the robbers. Ghousia college which is mentioned as landmark is located almost opposite to a jail and also the way the incident is mentioned it seems like the miscreants were knowing all the details of the victims and that they were not selected at random. It is pure stupidity on part of police to call up all matching vehicle owners for this. A word of caution, not sure of the current situation, however around a decade back Ramanagara police had a rule book of their own. Compared to them dealing with police in Bangalore was walk in the park. And also, instead of contacting the number you got call from I guess it is better to check with the police station directly and make sure if this is really required.
	() Thanks

10th June 2014, 20:02	#10
Zappo Team-BHP Support Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 5,922 Thanked: 2,699 Times	Re: Police come asking about my silver Ertiga Everyone is all over it blaming the process, methodology, police arm twisting and what not! But have you (the OP) tried to do the verybasic thing first? Please check whether this is a valid request or a prank. It take a 1 rupee coin to make a prank call from a PCO to any random number. Agreed this is a little more involving as the person seems to know that you have a silver Ertiga. But then again, one can do this also in 2 minutes. Bottomline is that you should first check the veracity of this call.
	(3) Thanks

10th June 2014, 20:27	#11
swiftnfurious Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 7,204 Thanked: 9,663 Times	Re: Police come asking about my silver Ertiga 1. As suggested, please check the validity of the call. 2. If yes, please check with the inspector whether these documents can be emailed and if required you/dad can be present in person (highlight the senior citizen point). 3. If they do NOT comply, you might as well connect to the bigger guys (like commissioner of police) where you might get some relief. 4. If you have some political connections, use it wisely (Sorry, but such things are becoming a norm). If you utilize any connections, I would request you to be extra courteous (with the police) as you should NOT come across as a person taking things for granted. Edit:: On the silver Ertiga front, it could be that the car might have been caught on some cam and there could be some visual identification that they can connect to. I do NOT find a reason why they want the pics otherwise. You may also want to know whether they are specifically looking for any angle / pic of the car. I am really NOT sure they are going to let you know on this front, if they want to keep it a secret & NOT give out a clue. Last edited by swiftnfurious : 10th June 2014 at 20:31.
	(1) Thanks

10th June 2014, 21:07	#12
triedeverything BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 500 Thanked: 213 Times View My Garage	Re: Police come asking about my silver Ertiga I called this guy... and after some negotiations, he agreed to me couriering him the pictures, along with a declaration stating where the car was on the said date, who owns it, who drives it, purchase date,etc. The address is to the Ramanagar Town Police Station. There were specific angles he's requested in the pictures, including those taken from inside the car. I hope that is the end of that. Maybe I should stop watching all those crime stories!
	(2) Thanks

11th June 2014, 12:12	#15
Soumyajit9 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: BLR Posts: 1,543 Thanked: 1,801 Times View My Garage	Re: Police come asking about my silver Ertiga Okay, small correction - Police didn't come asking about your Silver Ertiga. Police (it seems) called you asking about your Silver Ertiga. Did they ask you - Do you own an Ertiga ? Is it Silver in colour ? Or did they ask you - We want info about your Silver Ertiga ? The two questions above are absolutely different from each other. I am asking these questions because, I get spam calls like this: Caller: Hello, is this Mr. X ? Me: No, wrong number. Caller: May I know your name sir ? Me: Soumyajit9 Caller: Okay Mr. Soumyajit9, this call is regarding personal loan, blah blah blah. Never ever courier any of the documents to any place. Like someone said, incase you are emailing the documents, please watermark them. Make sure that the email id to which you are sending is something of a government domain (.gov, .kar.nic.in, .nic, etc) and not random gmail.com or yahoo.com email ids'. So what I am saying is, be careful, if someone is collecting info about your ride. We all watch crime series on TV. Lets be paranoid. Lets be informed about how criminals operate and be careful how we deal with things. Moreover, who calls citizens for identification parade without a warrant or court order ? The cops are supposed to visit your place and verify the docs if they suspect anything. You are not supposed to run after them with documents in hand. Feels pathetic at times what kind of govt servants are we dealing with.
	(3) Thanks