Stolen bike resurfaces in Karachi via e-challan

Owner urges police to use image in e-challan to trace rider, recover bike

A Karachi resident was shocked to receive an electronic traffic fine for a motorcycle that had been stolen from him several years ago, raising questions over the effectiveness of police surveillance and theft recovery systems.

The facial recognition-based e-challan, issued on October 27 for Rs5,000, indicated a traffic violation involving the stolen vehicle, including riding without a helmet.

The motorcycle owner had filed a theft case at Tipu Sultan Police Station at the time of the incident.

“The authorities have not recovered my stolen motorcycle, but they have managed to send me a fine for its violation,” the owner said.

The incident has also highlighted concerns about the active circulation of stolen vehicles in Karachi despite police checkpoints and Anti-Vehicle Lifting Cell (AVLC) operations.

The owner urged police officials to use the image in the e-challan to trace the rider and recover his vehicle.

Read: Karachi sets new speed limits for all major roads

Similarly, Speed limits have been fixed on all main roads of Karachi, said Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Traffic Police, Pir Muhammad Shah.

The speed limit for motorcycles and light transport vehicles (LTVs) has been set at 60 kilometres per hour, while for heavy transport vehicles (HTVs), the limit has been set at 30 kilometres per hour.

Speed-monitoring systems equipped with cameras are also being installed across the city to track vehicle speeds, Shah announced.

Further, trackers are being installed in 10,000 heavy vehicles, which will be connected to TRACS for real-time monitoring.