Koyilandi: Mumthaz Thayyullathil was happy to receive a notice from the motor vehicles department to pay a fine for traffic rule violations. The woman from Kuttiadi had been searching for her scooter ever since it went missing from a bus stand at Koyilandi two years ago.

The vanished scooter reappeared in the most unlikely place - a photo clicked by a motor vehicle inspector during a routine check. Koduvalli motor vehicle inspector V V Francis took the photo on February 1 to bring to book the rider who was not wearing a helmet. Little did he realize that he was helping recover stolen property.

Mumthaz, who had lodged a complaint with the Koyilandi police after she lost the scooter, got in touch with the cops as soon as she received the violation notification sent by the motor vehicle department to the registered owner of the offending vehicle.

While the police took their sweet time in tracking the scooter, social media users were on the job. The scooter was located at Thandappara near Thamarassery on Sunday thanks to the social media forwards.

The Thamarassery police have taken the scooter into custody but they have no idea who had been riding it so far.