19 August,2017 08:26 AM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah Khan and Suraj Ojha
Several cases surfaced where motorists have been wrongly fined for traffic offences they never committed, courtesy errant drivers who have figured out how to trick traffic police's e-Challan system
Days after Akhilesh Jaiswal started driving this auto, the police told him he owed Rs 3,000 in fines
Even if you're following all driving rules, there's a chance you might be asked to pay for someone else's mistake. Several cases have come up where motorists have been wrongly fined for traffic offences they never committed, courtesy errant drivers who have figured out how to trick traffic police's e-Challan system with duplicate number plates.
Zain Sayyad, the owner of the black bike, was shocked to spot a woman riding a scooter with the same number plate
CCTV evidence
Akhilesh Jaiswal, 26, recently started driving an autorickshaw belonging to Khar resident, Savita Gavde, 50. "On Sunday, I was caught by a traffic constable, who checked the MTP (Mumbai Traffic Police) software and found that there were 10 fines pending, amounting to R3,000. I told him that I had only started driving the auto last week, and had not flouted any rules. In the CCTV snapshots, I noticed that some other driver was using the same number plate on his auto," he recalled.
Jaiswal and Gavde had to run from pillar to post to get the fine cancelled. On Thursday, the police located the auto with the duplicate number plate and called the driver, Om Datt, to the police station. He claimed he knew nothing about the number plate and that he had only rented the auto from the actual owner a few days ago. The police then tried to contact the auto's owner, but he switched off his phone and went into hiding. Meanwhile, Gavde is worried about how she will support the family as she cannot give the auto out on rent anymore.
In yet another case, Kurla resident Zain Sayyad, 24, decided to check out the e-Challan app on his phone out of curiosity, but was shocked to see a pending fine to his name. When he checked the photographic evidence, he saw a woman riding a scooter having the same number plate.
Official speak
"We are coming across such issues. We are asking complainants to contact the RTO if they find duplicate number plates. I don't think there are more people facing this issue. It will be resolved anyway, as we will catch them through e-Challan," said Amitesh Kumar, joint CP (traffic).
