Mysuru: In a curious incident, a vehicle that was seized by the MCC officials in connection with illegal Telecom cable laying in the city, has gone missing from the MCC premises, where it was parked after seizure.

Following a tip off that some persons were unauthorisedly using electric poles for laying Telecom Network cables, the MCC officials on April 30 had seized a Jeep-type Bolero vehicle in MCC Ward No. 4 limits. Following the seizure, the vehicle was parked at the space close to the Election Branch of the MCC in the MCC Office premises and its keys were handed over to the Control Room.

But to everyone’s shock, the vehicle has gone missing since the past three days. But the vehicle keys are with the Control Room, thus giving rise to suspicions about the curious case.

But what is more surprising is that none of the top MCC officials do not know about how the seized vehicle went missing when its keys are with the Control Room.

However, the security staff claimed that someone drove the vehicle away and they have no much knowledge about it.

Upon coming to know of the incident, Mayor Pushpalatha Jagannath held a meeting at the MCC office yesterday, in which Deputy Mayor Shafi Ahmed, former Mayors Ayub Khan, Arif Hussain and others took part.

MCC Additional Commissioner Shivanandamurthy, MCC Zone 5 Assistant Commissioner Mahesh and Development Officer Veeresh were summoned to the meeting.

The officials told that after the seizure, the vehicle was parked in the MCC premises and the keys were handed over to the Control Room. A day after the seizure, the cable company got permission from CESC and presented a copy of it, seeking release of the vehicle. The company’s appeal for the release of the vehicle was brought to the notice of the MCC Commissioner.

The officials also maintained that it was not correct to hand over the vehicle keys to the Control Room staff, who are outsourced. But the Mayor and the former Mayors, who seemed unconvinced with the explanation, directed the officials to lodge a Police complaint about the missing seized vehicle and cables.

Deputy Mayor Shafi Ahmed called for an end to unauthorised cable laying in the city.

Former Mayor Arif Hussain said that unscientific and haphazard laying of cables have threatened footpath space and also damaged the city’s beauty.