Police, MVD uncover bid to alter details of stolen vehicles

The police and Motor Vehicles department (MVD) squads have uncovered suspected attempts to tamper with the chassis and registration numbers of stolen vehicles, reportedly to sell them in the resale market or use them for illegal activities. The police said the arrest of a 19-year-old recently with one such altered vehicle suggests that more gangs might be operating in this illegal trade

It was the Marad police who recently detected a stolen vehicle with a fake registration number and a tampered chassis number. During a flash raid, a gang reportedly abandoned the motorcycle, which the police later impounded for verification. The suspected youth was arrested after the police confirmed the vehicle’s original details with the owner.

“A few years ago, there were numerous cases in which stolen motorcycles were sold in the resale market using fake registration numbers. Many buyers purchased them because the vehicles were offered at very low prices. Later, many of these vehicles were seized as part of legal proceedings,” said a police officer who had been involved in the investigations.

He added that many of those involved in stealing the vehicles were teenagers, who were suspected of using the money for drug abuse.

MVD sources said attempts to alter or erase a chassis number would be treated as a grave offence, as it would make it difficult to trace the rightful owner. They added that such tampering would also hamper efforts to identify vehicles used in various crimes.

“There were several instances in which motorcycles seized in drug trafficking cases were found to have fake registration numbers and tampered chassis numbers. After detecting this pattern, enforcement squads were instructed to remain vigilant against such practices,” said an Excise official.

He added that another tactic involved using the registration numbers of abandoned vehicles on stolen motorcycles to mislead investigators and evade detection.

According to police sources, surveillance cameras installed to detect traffic violations have proved crucial in identifying vehicles with fake registration numbers. In several cases, original owners approached the MVD and the police after receiving challans for violations they had not committed. Subsequent verification revealed that their registration numbers had been misused on other vehicles, prompting further action to trace those involved.

Partial erasure of the original registration number or masking a portion of it with stickers was also noticed as part of attempts to conceal vehicle theft. Police sources said that, as part of the intensified vigil, enforcement squads would release such suspected vehicles only on the production of the original Registration Certificate and the driver’s licence.