Challans for signals you never jumped? Hyderabad cops find number clone trend
Police officers said they are receiving several such complaints and appealed to the public to approach cops if they suspect misuse of vehicle registration numbers.
Beware! Somebody may have cloned your registration number on your car or bike, and you may get traffic challans for rules you never broke.
Hyderabad cops probing two curious cases of vehicle owners getting challans without actually breaking rules have made a revelation. The accused cloned registration numbers and kept violating traffic rules. Automated street cameras spotted the fake number plates, and the challans went to the actual owners.
In the first case, cracked early this week, a resident of Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh approached the Hyderabad Traffic Police with a strange complaint: he was receiving challans for traffic violations in the Jubilee Hills area, about 500 km from his home.
A case was registered at Jubilee Hills police station, and police found that V Suresh Kumar, 26, who worked for a food aggregator, had removed the original registration number from his scooter and replaced it with a fake plate. The plan was simple: he would break rules, and someone else would pay for them.
“He works for a food delivery aggregator in the Jubilee Hills metro station area. He had been fined several times for violating traffic rules. To put an end to this, he randomly picked a number starting with AP39 and started using it on his two-wheeler. The number belongs to another vehicle registered in the name of a Nellore resident, who got the challans. This was intended to mislead enforcement authorities and evade penalties. The inquiry revealed that the original registration number of the accused’s vehicle is TS09BWTRXXXX,’’ an officer said.
In the second case, a homemaker from Hyderabad’s Kukatpally approached the police and said she received multiple challans for traffic violations she never committed. She pointed out that she did not even visit the areas where the rules were broken.
Police then scanned CCTV footage from the areas and identified the vehicle. Shaik Abbu Baba, 41, the owner of the vehicle and his relative, Shaik Rihaan, 19, were taken into custody. Rihaan, who used the vehicle, violated traffic rules and was often fined. He then altered one letter in his original registration number. This helped him avoid challans, which then went to the homemaker. The woman has told police that she suffered stress as she kept receiving challan notifications one after the other without even stepping out. A cheating case has now been registered against the accused.
Story continues below this ad
Police officers said they are receiving several such complaints and appealed to the public to approach cops if they suspect misuse of vehicle registration numbers.
“The use of fake or tampered number plates is a serious and punishable offence. With the support of advanced technologies such as CCTV surveillance and Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras, such violations are being effectively monitored and tracked. If anyone is using a fake number plate, we can detect them and track their movements. Citizens are encouraged to report any suspected misuse of vehicle registration number plates through the e-challan website, official email, or WhatsApp helpline,’’ said D Joel Davis, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Hyderabad.
Sreenivas Janyala is a Deputy Associate Editor at The Indian Express, where he serves as one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political and economic landscape of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. With a career spanning over two decades in mainstream journalism, he provides deep-dive analysis and frontline reporting on the intricate dynamics of South Indian governance.
Expertise and Experience
Regional Specialization: Based in Hyderabad, Sreenivas has spent more than 20 years documenting the evolution of the Telugu-speaking states. His reporting was foundational during the historic Telangana statehood movement and continues to track the post-bifurcation development of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Key Coverage Beats: His extensive portfolio covers a vast spectrum of critical issues:
High-Stakes Politics: Comprehensive tracking of regional powerhouses (BRS, TDP, YSRCP, and Congress), electoral shifts, and the political careers of figures like K. Chandrashekar Rao, Chandrababu Naidu, and Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Internal Security & Conflict: Authoritative reporting on Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), the decline of the Maoist movement in former hotbeds, and intelligence-led investigations into regional security modules.
Governance & Infrastructure: Detailed analysis of massive irrigation projects (like Kaleshwaram and Polavaram), capital city developments (Amaravati), and the implementation of state welfare schemes.
Crisis & Health Reporting: Led the publication's ground-level coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic in South India and major industrial incidents, such as the Vizag gas leak.
Analytical Depth: Beyond daily news, Sreenivas is known for his "Explained" pieces that demystify complex regional disputes, such as river water sharing and judicial allocations between the sister states. ... Read More
