Police to resume probe into old hit-and-run cases

The Kozhikode City and Rural police will resume investigations into some old hit-and-run cases.

Confidential complaints received by the police higher-ups on the yet-to-be completed investigations into some of the major cases and the delay in getting eligible compensation for the victims involved in such accidents continue to be the major reasons for the proposal for resuming investigations.

Police sources confirm that a directive from the State Police Chief on measures to be followed while investigating such cases has already been sent to various police stations for prompt follow up. It clearly suggests that more scientific evidence from the crime scenes should be collected, apart from dependence on CCTV camera footage, they said.

Efforts are under way within the limits of various police stations to prepare a list of various pending cases and review the progress. Details of victims and the status of their insurance claims in the case of grave accidents will also be examined. The case details and the progress of investigations will be reviewed by the higher authorities within the next six months.

“The strategies adopted by the local police in cracking a major hit-and-run case in Vadakara have been adopted as a model to make headway in the pending cases. Based on the instructions, more evidence, including call detail records, CCTV footage and statements of people near the crime scene, will be gathered,” said a senior police officer from Vadakara. He said a separate squad would be entrusted with the task in each station for speedy results.

According to police sources, it was the increase in the number of various local crimes and drug trafficking cases that delayed the probe into various old hit-and-run cases. Also, there were limitations in tracking several cases reported from the interior areas in the absence of any helpful CCTV footage or eyewitnesses’ statements, they said.