In order to combat the increasing number of cases of people tampering with vehicle registration number plates, the traffic police have started filing criminal complaints against them. It is estimated that the Hyderabad traffic police have registered 15,000 cases against such offenders since March this year.
The Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Hyderabad, AV Ranganath had warned that vehicles would also be seized if false number plates are displayed or digits/letters are deleted. Traffic officials will verify the registration number on the vehicle number plate with the documents. A criminal case will be filed against those who tamper with the registration number of a vehicle and use it on the roads, he added.
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A faulty or improper number plate on a vehicle may have security and law & order implications, Ranganath said. Law enforcement agencies may be misled by wrong number plates when investigating or detecting crimes. Violators like these are sure to face tighter penalties in the future from the Hyderabad traffic police.
Law and order police and Hyderabad police task forces raised the issue. Vehicles bearing wrong registration plates were causing a lot of inconvenience during the investigation of criminal offenses, staff had earlier informed their higher-ups.
CV Anand, the Hyderabad police commissioner, directed the traffic police to take stringent action against such persons when these issues were brought to his attention.
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The Hyderabad Traffic Police is filing complaints at law and order police stations regarding number plate tampering. Violators, in this case, are charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. Furthermore, the traffic police book cases under relevant sections of the Motor Vehicle Act.
It has been reported by officials from the Hyderabad Traffic Police that most offenders alter their number plates in order to evade traffic penalties imposed by cops via electronic surveillance. These violations include signal jumping, wearing a seat belt, wearing a helmet, and riding three at once.
