21 August,2021 07:40 AM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah Khan
Ravindra Anant Malap, 24, was caught driving a Scooty with a fake number plate at Malad
Just to evade paying e-challans and sometimes even to escape loan sharks, some vehicle owners in the city have been found using fake number plates. Over the past two months, the traffic police have registered 14 FIRs against such vehicle owners in the city. This has not only increased the burden on the traffic cops, but real owners of the vehicles whose number plates are being illegally used have become victims.
The latest FIR registered at the Malad police station on Thursday by Malad traffic division police constable Dnyaneshwar Kakad refers to a Scooty that had a duplicate number plate for the past three years.
Kakad was on duty near the Bata showroom on SV Road around 3 pm when he stopped a black-coloured Scooty with the number plate MH-47-AK-9985, as the 24-year-old youth was driving without a helmet.
When Kakad took a photo of the number plate and put it on the e-challan app, he got a âstop' message and immediately a call from the transport headquarters in Worli. The operator told him that the original owner of the vehicle with the number plate MH-47-AK-9985 was not using it. Kakad was also told that the actual owner had been receiving penalty messages on his number. When he enquired with the driver of the scooty and asked for the vehicle's documents, he only gave the insurance receipt.
Also Read: Mumbai: Stolen scooty recovered after thief jumps signal
When Kakad checked once again using the chassis number and engine number AG7LJ2305346, he found that both the numbers mentioned in the insurance receipt were of a vehicle with the number plate MH-47-AL-9849. When he entered the number MH-47-AK-9985 in the e-challan machine, it provided details of an Activa scooty whose owner is Vinod Gandubhai Vora. The constable then interrogated accused Ravindra Anant Malap after which he confessed to using a fake number plate. Malap was later booked and arrested under section 420 of IPC and remanded to judicial custody.
A similar incident was reported a month back when Malad traffic division ASI Chandrashekhar Dabholkar and his team towed an Activa bearing number MH 47 AL 2801 and four more motorcycles from Govinda Hotel area in Malad West. After the motorcycles were dropped at the traffic division office, a person by the name Shamsullah Mohd Shafik reached the office and said that the Activa bearing number MH 47 AL 2801 belonged to his friend.
On-duty ASI Ganesh Satavse asked for the vehicle's documents and RC book, to which Shafik said that the documents were with his friend, who was the vehicle's owner. When the cop asked him to call his friend, he started behaving suspiciously. After Satavse reported the matter to senior inspector Narendra Shinde, the latter asked him to check the vehicle number on the e-challan machine. Soon they realised that the number plate was of a different vehicle.
During interrogation Shafik confessed that the vehicle had a fake number plate and the actual number was MH 47 AL 1802. He further revealed that he had a pending loan against the bike and as he had not paid for several months, the recovery agents were threatening to seize the vehicle. A case was registered at the Malad police station under sections 420, 465 and 471 of IPC and he was arrested.
In another incident on July 30, a Maruti Ritz was towed near the DN Nagar traffic chowky and its number plate MH 02 EE 3767 was run through the multimedia cell of the traffic police. When they entered the number in the e-challan machine against the owner's mobile number, they found out that he was using a fake number plate. The cops then called owner Nishant Alora, who confessed to using a fake number plate and said that his car's actual number was MH 02 CR 5872, which had a tourist permit.
On being questioned further, Alora said that he had a loan against his vehicle and to evade the recovery people he changed the number plate. The police have registered a case against Alora for cheating.
Speaking to mid-day on the issue, Joint Commissioner of Police, traffic, Yashasvi Yadav said that many people were found to use duplicate number plates for stolen vehicles as well, and 21 FIRs had been registered against such people.
Yadav further said, "Some people use duplicate numbers to avoid e-challans, but they don't realise that they are committing a crime for which FIRs can be registered against them. I appeal to people to not use duplicate numbers, because if they do, legal action will be taken."
21
No. of FIRs for using fake plates on stolen vehicles
According to the traffic police, from 2016 to July 31, 2021, the traffic police have issued a total of 2,09,96,200 e-challans, which adds up to a fine of Rs 6,80,90,99,004. Out of this, Rs 2,48,53,94,241 has been recovered till July 31, while Rs 4,32,37,04,763 is still pending. To collect the outstanding e-challan amount, the traffic police will organise a lok adalat from September 25 to 27.
