Mira Road: In a rare case of accountability, the Mira-Bhayandar traffic police fined one of its own towing vehicles for jumping a traffic signal and failing to follow proper towing procedures.

The incident occurred at around 12:50 pm near McDonald’s Junction, when a tow truck allegedly contracted by the traffic department was seen violating a red signal. Moments later, the same vehicle was observed lifting a parked two-wheeler near Shivar Garden, without using a public address system to warn nearby citizens — a mandatory procedure.

Notably, the vehicle did not have a visible registration plate, and instead had a number crudely painted with white background instead of yellow on it, raising further concerns. Farooqui, who was driving behind the truck, stopped it at 12:53 PM and confronted the officers.

“When I questioned the officers, they initially denied everything,” Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) leader Ghulam Nabi Farooqui said.

“But once they noticed I was recording the video, they admitted to the violation and pretended to issue a fine using a handheld device," he said.

Farooqui alleged that the officers did not carry the mandatory body-worn camera and e-challan machine in their possession — contradicting public assurances recently made by the police commissioner that all traffic officials would be equipped with such devices.

“This is not just negligence — it suggests possible collusion between traffic police and private towing contractors,” Farooqui said, adding “If the police themselves violate traffic laws, how can they expect the public to follow them?”