700 Vehicle Owners in MP Issued Notices, FIRs to be Filed

MP News: Around 700 vehicles registered in Madhya Pradesh (MP) based on NOCs (No Objection Certificates) from Lakshadweep, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland have been found to contain irregularities.

MP News: Vehicles are being registered in MP cities after being fraudulently registered online in other states by misusing the backlog entry system. This scam came to light during the investigation of over 2000 transfer NOC cases.

This irregularity was found in 700 vehicles registered in MP based on NOCs from Lakshadweep, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland. When the MP Transport Department inquired with the manufacturer about the make, model, and chassis number of the vehicles, the manufacturer denied their production.

Profiting from Fraudulent Sales

This proved that the vehicles were assembled from spare parts, and after fraudulently marking the chassis number, they were registered online through the backlog entry in the respective state. After this, NOCs were obtained to drive and register the vehicles in other states, which were then presented to various transport offices in MP. Profits are being made by selling vehicles that have no record whatsoever.

There is a suspicion that these vehicles may also be involved in criminal activities. The Transport Department has issued notices to over 700 vehicle owners in MP. After a hearing, FIRs will be registered in the respective police station areas in all these cases.

How the Fraud Was Committed

Under the central transport rules, a Regional Transport Officer in any state can update an old vehicle in the online system based on the backlog entry system. Its record was not previously registered online.

Lakshadweep, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland have violated this rule. Many vehicles were registered online here that have no record with the manufacturer. Once included in the system, these vehicles are being bought and sold online across different states of the country.

Data Matching from the Portal is Mandatory

Manufacturers have to upload information about all manufactured vehicles on the central government's homologation portal. The Transport Department has access to this portal. Regional Transport Officers have been instructed to verify all the make, model, and chassis numbers of the vehicle from the portal before registering based on NOCs from other states. In this matter, Transport Commissioner Vivek Sharma said that all districts have been alerted. Action has been initiated in 700 cases where vehicles were fraudulently registered in MP based on NOCs.