As demand for ‘VIP licence plates’ grows, agents at Pune RTO make a fast buck

The development comes at a time when the RTO is witnessing an increased demand for special number plates – Pune earned around Rs 50 crore in FY 2023-24 through the sale of exclusive registration numbers.

In Pune, to get a licence plate with a VIP number, one needs to submit an application along with a demand draft (DD) from a bank. The form and the DD are then submitted to the RTO. If there are multiple applications for a specific registration number, the allotment is done through an auction process. On the scheduled auction day, all applicants have to pay an amount in a closed envelope and the VIP number goes to the person who has paid the most.

According to RTO officials, the agents come into play when people approach them to avoid documentation hassles. The agents allegedly get DDs made based on different number series and illegally sell these to applicants for amounts exceeding the actual DD amount.

According to RTO officials, agents also have an idea about the numbers that may receive more than one applicant. They participate in the auction and if a number in high demand receives more than one application, agents approach the applicants and allegedly demand money in exchange for withdrawing their names from the auction.

Additionally, officials alleged that agents also take advantage of the remaining unsold numbers in the auction. “Those numbers which are not sold to any applicants or have received no applications are ordered to be sold openly the next morning,” an RTO official said.

“Due to the first-come, first-serve situation, agents spend the night in the RTO office premises and stand in the queue immediately as the office opens… After purchasing the numbers, they sell them for a lump sum amount,” an official explained.

Though Maharashtra is yet to implement an e-auction system for ‘VIP numbers’, several states such as Kerala, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh etc. have already done so.