Punjab Vigilance Bureau busts fake heavy vehicle driving licence racket, arrests 4

The Bureau then launched an investigation against Pratibha Sharma, a data entry operator at RTA Gurdaspur, a spokesperson said in a statement.

By: Express News Service

Chandigarh | Updated: August 6, 2025 10:25 IST

The Bureau then launched an investigation against Pratibha Sharma, a data entry operator at RTA Gurdaspur, a spokesperson said in a statement. (File)

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau has unearthed a major corruption racket involving the issuance of fake heavy vehicle driving licences, and arrested a motor vehicle inspector (MVI) among four accused.

This case has exposed a nexus between officials of the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) Gurdaspur, the State Institute of Automobile and Driving Skills Centre (SIADS) Mahuana in Sri Muktsar Sahib district, and private document agents operating in Gurdaspur district, officers said on Tuesday.

The four key accused arrested so far are Sukhdev Singh (MVI, LMV and GI driving in-charge at SIADS Mahuana), Amit Kumar alias Shelly (Shelly Documents Centre), Jagpreet Singh (Punjab Documents), and Rakesh Kumar (former RTA data entry operator, currently posted at SDM Office Batala).

Based on a complaint filed by a resident of Pathankot, an FIR was registered on Monday against seven accused under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, Information Technology Act, and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at the VB police station (Amritsar range).

The Bureau then launched an investigation against Pratibha Sharma, a data entry operator at RTA Gurdaspur, a spokesperson said in a statement. It was revealed during investigation that 23 out of 51 driving training certificates purportedly issued by SIADS Mahuana were found to be fake, as only 27 legitimate certificate numbers were on record. Crucially, system-generated fields like the unique certificate number, QR code, and embedded cellphone number on the receipt could only be altered by institute officials, making these vital markers of authenticity.

“Any mismatch among these parameters confirmed fraudulent creation,” the Bureau spokesperson said, adding the investigation pointed to the role of private agents including Kulbir Documents, Shelly Documents and GMD Documents, and Punjab Documents centres — in sourcing applicants, and facilitating forged documentation in exchange for bribes.

Financial trails showed direct payments from these agents into the bank accounts of Pratibha and Rakesh. Sukhdev misused his access to the system to generate fake certificates, causing direct financial loss to the state exchequer by illegally claiming Rs 430 (government fee) per certificate.

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Raids are being conducted, and the remaining three accused — including Pratibha — will be arrested soon, officers said, adding further investigation is underway.

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