Bhiwandi: In a case of alleged vehicle identity fraud, the Bhiwandi Traffic Police have booked and arrested an autorickshaw driver for operating his vehicle with a fake registration number to avoid seizure by loan recovery agents. The accused allegedly replaced his vehicle's original number plate with that of another autorickshaw after defaulting on loan instalments, but the deception came to light following a routine traffic enforcement action.
Traffic constable notices illegal front over-seat, issues e-challan
According to the police, Traffic Constable Pandharinath Vishe was on traffic duty in the Bag-e-Firdous area of Bhiwandi on Tuesday, July 21, when he noticed an autorickshaw carrying passengers with an illegal front over-seat, a violation of the Motor Vehicles Act. The vehicle was displaying registration number MH-04-FC-5325.
Constable Vishe issued an e-challan against the vehicle under Section 239 read with Section 177 of the Motor Vehicles Act. However, shortly after the challan was generated, the notification was received on the mobile phone of Hamid Sheikh, the registered owner of an autorickshaw bearing the same registration number and a resident of Thane.
Complaint filed; senior officers order immediate inquiry
Surprised to receive a traffic violation alert from Bhiwandi while he was in Thane, Hamid Sheikh immediately approached the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Thane Traffic Branch, and lodged a complaint, claiming that his vehicle had not been in Bhiwandi at the time of the offence.
Taking the complaint seriously, senior officers ordered an inquiry. The investigation was conducted under the supervision of Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Sharad Oval and Senior Police Inspector Kishor Kharat of the Bhiwandi Traffic Branch.
Complainant called to Bhiwandi for vehicle verification
Acting on the instructions, Constable Pandharinath Vishe, along with police personnel Nagpure and Khairnar, traced the autorickshaw displaying the disputed registration number in the Vanjarpatti Naka area. The driver, identified as Bajrang Bhagwat Phad, a resident of Vishwabharati Phata, Kavad, was detained and brought to the Kalyan Naka Traffic Police Office for questioning.
Meanwhile, Police Head Constables Sachin Vetal, Suryakant Bhosale, and Jitendra Bhagat contacted the complainant, Hamid Sheikh, and asked him to appear before the traffic police office in Bhiwandi for verification.
Accused defaulted on loan, feared seizure by recovery agents
During interrogation, Bajrang Phad allegedly confessed that his autorickshaw's actual registration number was MH-04-FC-3400. He admitted that he had installed a fake number plate bearing MH-04-FC-5325 to conceal the identity of his vehicle.
The accused told investigators that he had defaulted on the loan taken for purchasing the autorickshaw and feared that recovery agents would seize the vehicle. To avoid repossession, he allegedly used another vehicle's registration number and continued operating the autorickshaw on city roads.
Following the investigation, Constable Pandharinath Vishe lodged a formal complaint at the Nizampur Police Station. Based on the complaint, police registered a case against Bajrang Phad under Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for cheating and fraudulent misrepresentation.
Police have taken the accused into custody and initiated further investigation to ascertain whether the fake registration plate had been used in any other offences or traffic violations. Authorities are also examining whether any additional legal provisions relating to forged registration plates and violations under the Motor Vehicles Act need to be invoked.
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