Police destroy over 500 unclaimed vehicles

The police have destroyed over 500 vehicles, most of them motorcycles, impounded for various violations, that were left unclaimed.

In a post on X on Monday morning, the police said they destroyed total 568 vehicles on Saturday; 524 two-wheelers and 44 four-wheelers.

The police had launched a special operation to remove illegally parked vehicles from the roads of Male’, many of them blocking public transport and access points for emergency vehicles, back in September last year.

The police have also been running operations in collaboration with the Male’ City Council and the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) to remove abandoned vehicles that line the streets of Male’ City and Hulhumale’.

In a statement in July last year, the Transport Ministry said that parked vehicles occupy 65 percent of the streets of Maldivian capital, contributing to road accidents.

As per regulations, the police can destroy vehicles they tow only after announcing publicly they have the towed vehicles in their custody, and if the owner fails to claim it within 60 days after the announcement was made.

Vehicles impounded for violations are destroyed by the police if it remains unclaimed by owners within 60 days of a public announcement.