HYDERABAD: Three RTA officials and a few finance companies have been found to have allegedly helped in registration of 47 auto rickshaws in the name of a single person fraudulently.
The scam came into light a few days back after the regional transport officer Y Satyanarayana Rao lodged a complaint with Trimulgherry police on February 19.
During the probe, police arrested Raji Reddy of Biramguda in Patancheru for getting 47 autos getting registered on his name.
DCP North Zone Ch Srikanth said the accused used to pay Rs2,000 each to three errant officials for completing the work.
According to procedure, a driver of an auto has to take permission from the RTA to condemn his old vehicle and get the scrap proceedings from a dealer before buying a new vehicle.
Police said Raji Reddy took the proceedings against his old auto to get a new vehicle.
With the assistance of errant RTA officials, he used the same proceedings to get more vehicles registered in his name at the Trimulgherry RTA office.
In view of demand for registration of new autos, Raji Reddy connived with financiers and came to an agreement that the financiers have to pay Rs 30,000 as commission to get the permit.
"The financiers used to purchase new autos directly from automobile showrooms on Raji Reddy's name for registration in the RTA, without submitting scrap proceedings of old autos,'' Srikanth said.
The scam has been going on since 2010, he added.
"Raji Reddy claimed he had used the help of financiers of Shubham Finance, Sunaina Finance, Ashok Finance, KL Finance, all at Malakunta in Goshamahal and owned by one family and Vikram finance at Khairathabad and two automobile showrooms, Vinayaka Automobiles at Nampally and Abhinandan Automobile at Saifabad.
He submitted about 52 applications for new autos in the RTA office by paying necesssary fee and new vehicle documents without the original scrap proceedings.
With help of the RTA staff, he managed to get 47 registration numbers without enclosing scrap proceedings which are mandatory,'' Srikanth said.
All the autos were moving in the city without having permits.
The DCP said the role of the financiers, automobile showrooms and RTA staff would be probed and action taken against them if they are found guilty
Registration fraud
* The accused got the scrap proceedings from his old auto to buy a new vehicle * He connived with three RTA officials who used the same proceedings to get more registration numbers * He then used the help of financiers who purchased new autos from showrooms for registration using his name