Malkajgiri police book 1,340 drivers

Malkajgiri Traffic Police said on May 19 that officers booked 1,340 motorists for using mobile phones while driving during a commissionerate-wide enforcement drive in Telangana. The police said the operation collected ₹13.39 lakh in fines in a single day. The drive was carried out across Traffic Zones I and II under the Malkajgiri Commissionerate, according to police and local media reports. The commissionerate’s website identifies B. Sumathi as commissioner of police. (newsmeter.in) ### Where did the 1,340 cases come from? A May 19 report by Newsmeter, citing Malkajgiri Traffic Police, said the cases were booked during a special drive conducted on Tuesday across all traffic police stations under the commissionerate. (newsmeter.in) The police said enforcement teams were sent to major junctions, busy roads, signalized intersections and congestion-prone stretches to spot drivers using phones behind the wheel. The police account on X published the enforcement figures on May 19, according to the source briefing for this story. Reuters could not independently retrieve the full text of the post from X through the available web tool, but the same figures were carried by Newsmeter and matched the details in the briefing. (newsmeter.in) ### What exactly were officers targeting on the road? Malkajgiri Traffic Police said the drive focused on motorists talking on phones, texting, browsing social media, video recording and operating electronic gadgets while driving. The operation covered both major corridors and choke points where officers said distracted driving is easier to detect during slow-moving or signal-bound traffic. (newsmeter.in) The police urged motorists to stop at a safe location if communication becomes unavoidable. In a road-safety message carried by Newsmeter, the police said, “One call can wait, but one accident can change life forever.” (newsmeter.in) ### How unusual is a drive of this size in Malkajgiri? April 23 provides a recent comparison point. The Hindu reported that more than 1,000 motorists were booked in Malkajgiri during an earlier special enforcement drive targeting mobile phone use while driving. A separate April report by Telangana Today said Malkajgiri traffic police had also booked 1,070 cases in a drive targeting mobile phone use and unauthorized sirens, with fines of ₹10.55 lakh. (newsmeter.in) Those earlier drives suggest phone-use enforcement has been a repeated focus for traffic police in the commissionerate, though police did not publish a broader trend line for repeat offenders in the materials reviewed. (newsmeter.in) ### Who supervised the operation? The May 19 drive was carried out under the directions of B. Sumathi, IPS, the Malkajgiri commissionerate and its website said. Newsmeter reported that DCP Traffic-I and DCP Traffic-II supervised the operation, with ACPs, inspectors, sub-inspectors and traffic personnel from all traffic police stations taking part. (thehindu.com) The commissionerate website says Malkajgiri Police covers urban, semi-urban and rural areas, giving the traffic wing a broad road network that includes arterial roads and newly urbanized stretches. ### What happens next for drivers? (telanganatoday.com) Malkajgiri Traffic Police said similar drives would continue across the commissionerate and that repeat offenders would face stringent legal action under relevant provisions of law. Telangana Police’s public e-challan portal allows motorists to look up vehicle-related challans and payment status online. The next public marker is likely to be any follow-up enforcement update from Malkajgiri Police or additional challan data posted through the Telangana Police system. (newsmeter.in) As of May 20, the commissionerate had not published a separate detailed release on its website beyond the figures carried in media coverage and the police social-media post referenced in the briefing. (malkajgiripolice.telangana.gov.in)