Bangalore:
A sudden influx of defective number plates is keeping the city traffic police on their toes. This reporter saw a classic example of how a defective number plate was booked by the traffic cops for fake registration vehicle.
A vehicle, bearing number KA04EV1250 was booked for crossing the stop line near Basappa circle traffic junction and for another couple of traffic violations.
This vehicle was also booked for parking in a 'No parking' zone and jumping the signal. The surveillance cameras put at traffic junctions that not only monitor traffic violations but also playing private eye captured these violations.
Following this, automatic notices were generated and sent to Shantilal Kothari, the owner of the vehicle. Shantilal was shocked to know that he had violated traffic rules. He came to check the video proof, and found that it was not his vehicle.
Shantilal's vehicle is a four-stroke bike, but the photo captured by the surveillance was of a two-stroke bike. Intrigued, the traffic police started hunting for vehicles with fake registration numbers, and a picture of the vehicle was distributed to various traffic stations.
Finally, the Adugodi police traced the vehicle in their limits and seized it. The police asked the owner to produce the vehicle documents, and when they were produced, they found that the RC book was issued by the Regional Transport Office (RTO). When the police tallied the registration number (KA04EY1250), it turned out to be KA04EV1250. Further investigations revealed that EY had become EV, because of wear and tear.
A TMC official said, "The owner was booked. We collected fine for the violations. He was asked to make the corrections immediately."
When it was proved that it was a genuine vehicle, the owner was booked, and fine was collected for defective number plate.
Bangalore city traffic police have come across around 20 such vehicles previously plying with fake numbers. This came to light only when the owners of vehicles complained to the Traffic Management Centre (TMC) to check the violations and found that vehicles of different models were plying with similar registration numbers.