Thiruvananthapuram: Once notorious for bootlegging and drug trafficking, these vehicles have now taken a complete U-turn — quite literally — finding a new lease of life in disciplined government service. Formerly zipping through roads in shadowy pursuits, many of these vehicles now ply with pride, flaunting VIP boards in front of government offices.

Thanks to a streamlined initiative by the Excise Department, hundreds of seized vehicles are being repurposed and handed over to various government departments — a move that not only brings relief to resource-starved agencies but also symbolises a transformation from criminality to service.

With the rise in NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) and Abkari (liquor smuggling) cases in the state, the number of vehicles seized by the Excise Department has soared. While earlier only about 200 vehicles were impounded annually, now nearly 300 are being confiscated every month for offences ranging from liquor to narcotics smuggling. After retaining what they need, the Excise Department redistributes the remaining vehicles to departments based on requirement.

Over the past few years, more than 250 such vehicles have been allocated to various departments — ranging from luxurious sedans for department heads to rugged jeeps for hilly panchayats. The Prison Department has received the most, with 20 vehicles handed over in the past two years alone.

Even the Police Department now uses some of these once-infamous vehicles — vehicles that once tried to outrun the law now sit calmly in station yards bearing police boards. Among them are luxury vehicles like Mahindra Thar, new models like the Innova and Bolero and several Swifts and Desires seized this year — mostly from young smugglers.

One such example is the official vehicle of B U Bivish, Director General of the Parliamentary Affairs Institute — a Swift Dzire once caught transporting illicit country liquor. A Bolero used to ram an Excise vehicle during a smuggler’s escape attempt now serves as the official car of a Thiruvananthapuram Excise Range officer.

To obtain such vehicles, department heads must apply through the Taxes Secretary. The Abkari Act's disposal committee evaluates these requests based on an official list of vehicles released by court orders. Only vehicles with at least five years of RC (Registration Certificate) validity are eligible. Departments must repair and repurpose the vehicles at their own expense.

Thus, after shedding their “criminal past”, these vehicles now move unflinchingly through the Secretariat and other government campuses — some with official escorts and exclusive parking spots. If these vehicles could talk, perhaps they'd echo a famous Malayalam film line: “I’m trying to forget the old Neelakandan. Don’t remind me, Sekhara…” from Devasuram movie.