Barricades stolen, traffic cones, stools set on fire at Panchkula market parking

The contractor of the parking in Panchkula’s Sector 14 market says he suspects the hand of a youth who had an altercation with one of his staff members, the evening before over parking charges

Unidentified miscreants stole 15 barricades and set ablaze 50 plastic traffic cones, five plastic stools and ropes used by the parking contractor at the Sector-14 market in Panchkula. The incident took place on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday.

Closed-circuit television camera footage in the market in Panchkula showed two masked men taking the items and setting it on fire. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The parking contractor, Lal Chand, in his complaint, said, one of his staff members had an altercation with a youth over parking charges the day before, and he suspects that the youth and his accomplices may have been behind it.

Closed-circuit television camera footage in the area showed two masked men taking the items and setting it on fire.

In the FIR, Chand stated that he had placed the barricades and tied ropes at the exit point of the market. At night, they used to keep the plastic stoppers, stools and other items locked under the stairs of one of the SCOs. “On the morning of November 6, when our worker Sita Ram reached the spot, he found the barricades were missing, ropes cut and charred remains of the other items near the Vita booth. The shutter of the place where the stool and plastic stoppers had been kept, were broken,” he stated.

He said around 8 pm on the previous night, a youth had threatened Sita Ram for “charging ₹12 parking fee from his boss”. “He asked Sita Ram to return the fees, and threatened him of dire consequences when he refused. The youth threatened Sita Ram that he won’t be able to charge fees from the next day,” said Chand.

On the basis of his complaint, an FIR under Section 380 (theft in dwelling house), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees), 435 (mischief caused by explosive substance with intent to cause damage to amount of 100 or more) and 457 (tress pass) has been registered against unknown persons.

Lal Chand said: “Police have not informed me regarding any arrest or update in the case.”