Vehicles seized by cops gutted in fire in Vizag

VISAKHAPATNAM: As many as 24 impounded vehicles, including a car, were gutted in a fire near Kancharapalem police station in Vizag city on Sunday evening.
The vehicles were seized by the Kancharapalem police in different cases, including ganja smuggling and a few others, over the past few years.
Deputy commissioner of police (Zone-II) K Anand Reddy said that a total of 15 vehicles were partially damaged and nine were fully gutted, in the fire mishap.
The vehicles that were damaged include the vehicles that were seized by the police in different cases pertaining from 2010 to 2015.
Though the court ordered the disposal of the vehicles, the owners of the vehicles didn’t claim the vehicles due to various reasons.
The police said that the fire started in vacant land, located just behind the Kancharapalem police station premises and which is used as a dumping yard by the GVMC.
The fire spread to the police station premises area, where the vehicles were parked.
The alert police managed to douse the flame with the help of a fire brigade.
The police suspect that it was an accidental fire as there was no scope for the fire due to an electrical short-circuit.
A complaint was booked by the village revenue officer Muralinagar Sachivalayam P Varaprasad and the investigation is under way.
The total loss of property in the fire mishap is over one Rs 90,000, the police added.