KOCHI: A tip-off from none other than Transport Minister Ganesh Kumar helped the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) seize a scooter that had a doctored number plate and was involved in multiple traffic violations detected by the AI cameras in Angamaly over the past seven months. The owner of the scooter has been booked and fined.
Last week, while his convoy was passing through the national highway stretch in Angamaly, Ganesh saw two youngsters on the scooter driving recklessly, without helmets. He noted down the number plate and alerted the MVD.
“We were informed that a scooter with the number plate KL 63F 0824 was involved in a traffic violation witnessed by the minister himself. We found the number was of a car. We contacted the control room to trace the scooter. We got information that there had been frequent complaints against the scooter in the past several months, and the car owner was receiving challans for the violations,” said an MVD officer.
The MVD enquired about the vehicle’s whereabouts, and retrieved the photographs and videos of the rider and the scooter from AI cameras.
“People in Angamaly town told us that the scooter was used by migrant workers, and that they frequently visited a dhaba on the NH stretch near Angamaly. When the workers reached the dhaba, we took the vehicle into custody. Upon questioning, the workers said the scooter belonged to their employer, an Angamaly native. Its RC number was KL 63E 0824,” he said.
The owner told MVD officials that he bought the used scooter in January, and was unaware that the number plate had been tampered with. “We don’t believe him as the vehicle had been frequently involved in traffic violations detected by AI cameras,” said the officer.
Following a report from the MVD, the Angamaly police booked the scooter owner under Sections 336(2) (forgery) and 340(2) (using forged document as original) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The vehicle was shifted to the Angamaly police station.
“We have imposed heavy fines on the owner for various violations, including riding without helmet, reckless driving and using a fake number plate. Criminal procedures will be initiated by the police,” said the MVD officer.
New trend to fool AI cams
MVD officials said the trend of using fake or doctored number plates has emerged ever since AI cameras went live across the state. “We recently had a case in Perumbavoor where a discarded vehicle’s number was used on another vehicle that was involved in multiple traffic violations in Karnataka. During routine inspections too, a number of vehicles having manipulated number plates have been detected. The trend has emerged ever since AI cameras became operational,” said an MVD officer.