Soon after the video went viral, Noida Police tracked down the towing vehicle.
In Noida's Sector 50, contractors were tasked with towing illegally parked vehicles. They went a step too far by towing a car with two senior citizens still inside. A video of this incident is now viral across social media platforms, sparking outrage.
In the video footage, the elderly occupants can be seen sitting inside their car as it is being towed by a towing crane. According to regulations, if individuals are present inside a vehicle parked in a no-parking zone, then the car cannot be towed.
Speaking to NDTV, one of the elderly occupants who was inside the car as it was towed away, said: "I had gone to the hospital with my sister-in-law. At the hospital, we were asked to pay in cash and get some documents photocopied. When we reached Sector 50, we parked at this spot in a hurry. It was a no-parking zone but the signage was hidden by the branches of a tree. So we couldn't spot it."
"We came within five minutes with the cash and the photocopies. But by then the car was already attached to the towing vehicle. We sat in the car and pleaded with them. I told them we were going to the hospital with my sister-in-law who suffers from a cardiac ailment. We are all senior citizens - 70 years old. Soon people gathered and tried to stop them from towing the car away. But they kept saying we will have to collect it from the police station," he added.
In response to the public outcry, the Noida Traffic Police issued a clarification, shifting the responsibility onto the Noida Development Authority (NDA) for parking enforcement activities in the area.
Soon after the video went viral, Noida Police tracked down the towing vehicle. The vehicle has been seized and a case has been registered against those operating it.