Bengaluru police say half of 6,000 abandoned-vehicle reports were unfounded

More than 6,000 vehicles were reported as abandoned through the Bengaluru Traffic Police’s ASTraM app in two weeks. Police and city corporation teams said verification found that about half of the reports did not concern abandoned vehicles.

The reporting window opened as part of a citywide footpath-clearance drive with the Greater Bengaluru Authority. Residents can upload a vehicle photograph and location if it appears to have been left on a street for a long period.

Police said some reports involved cars parked outside homes while their owners used two-wheelers for daily travel. Other reports concerned vehicles left by residents visiting their hometowns, or customer vehicles parked on roads by garages. Limited street parking also led to neighbourhood disputes and unfounded reports, police said.

“Such cars have also been flagged as abandoned,” a senior traffic police officer said of vehicles parked outside homes.

More than 1,000 vehicles have been cleared under the drive, police said. Some owners moved their vehicles after notice stickers were placed on them; police said fines were imposed under the prescribed rules.

Police asked residents to report only vehicles that appear to be genuinely abandoned, saying unfounded complaints divert staff from other citizen services.