66. Police to take charge of unclaimed property.—(1) It shall be the duty of every police officer to
take temporary charge—
(a) of all unclaimed property found by, or made over to, him; and
(b) of all property found lying in any public street, if the owner or person in charge of such
property, on being directed to remove the same, refuses or fails to do so.
(2) The police officer taking charge of the property under sub-section (1) shall furnish an inventory
thereof to the Commissioner of Police.
67. Procedure for disposal of property taken charge of under section 66.—(1) Where any
property has been taken charge of under sub-section (1) of section 66, the Commissioner of Police shall
issue a proclamation specifying the articles of which such property consists and requiring that any person
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who may have a claim thereto shall appear before him or some other officer whom he authorises in this
behalf and establish his claim within six months from the date of such proclamation.
(2) If the property, or any part thereof, is subject to speedy and natural decay or consists of livestock
or if the property appears to be of the value of less than fifty rupees, it may forthwith be sold by auction
under the orders of the Commissioner of Police and the net proceeds of such sale shall be dealt with in the
same manner as is hereinafter provided for the disposal of the said property.
(3) Where any person who has a claim to the property is required by the proclamation under
sub-section (1) to appear before the other officer authorised by the Commissioner of Police in that behalf
and establish his claim, such officer shall forward the record of the proceedings before him with his
findings thereon to the Commissioner of Police.
68. Delivery of property to person entitled.—(1) The Commissioner of Police on being satisfied of
the title of any claimant to the possession or administration of the property specified in the proclamation
issued under sub-section (1) of section 67 order the same to be delivered to him, after deduction or
payment of the expenses incurred by the Delhi police in the seizure and detention thereof.
(2) The Commissioner of Police may, at his discretion, before making any order under
sub-section (1), take such security as he may think proper from the person to whom the said property is to
be delivered and nothing hereinbefore contained shall affect the right of any person to recover the whole
or any part of the same from the person to whom it may have been delivered pursuant to such order.
69. In default of claim, property to be at disposal of Government.—(1) If no person establishes
his claim to such property within the period specified in the proclamation, the property, or such part
thereof as has not already been sold under sub-section (2) of section 67, may be sold by auction under the
orders of the Commissioner of Police and the proceeds thereof shall be credited to the Government.
(2) If any claim is made to any proceeds credited under sub-section (1) to the Government and if such
claim is established, whether wholly or to any extent, to the satisfaction of the prescribed authority, the
Administrator shall pay to the claimant the amount determined in that behalf by the prescribed authority.
(3) The form and manner in which claims may be made under sub-section (2) and the procedure for
dealing with such claims and all other matters connected therewith shall be such as may be prescribed.