A sophisticated illegal operation involving the theft, illegal registration, and subsequent sale of trucks has been unearthed in Nagpur, revealing a massive interstate criminal network. Authorities have registered an FIR at the Kapil Nagar Police Station following a detailed investigation into the scheme. According to Vijay Chauhan, an official from the Nagpur Rural RTO, the syndicate operated across multiple states, including Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh. The gang meticulously fabricated documents to register stolen trucks as brand-new vehicles before selling them to unsuspecting buyers.
Extensive Irregularities and Chassis Tampering
The RTO has identified 1,587 trucks that are currently under suspicion due to their chassis numbers showing signs of significant tampering. Numerous serious irregularities have surfaced during the ongoing audit of these vehicles. Legal action has already been initiated against 495 trucks, with multiple cases registered across different police stations. Furthermore, the transport department has taken the decisive step of cancelling the registration of 223 vehicles to ensure they are removed from the road.
Vijay Chauhan explained that the group initially prepared manual documentation for stolen trucks in states like Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana. Once these papers were stamped and formalized, they were forwarded to Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh to facilitate the online registration process.
Circumventing the VAHAN Portal
The perpetrators used the VAHAN portal to legitimize the stolen vehicles. By uploading fabricated manual documents, they successfully registered the stolen trucks as brand-new units on the online system. Approximately 10 days later, they would secure an NOC, allowing the vehicles to be sold as new in target states. These trucks were then integrated into the transport system, operating openly on public roads under fraudulent identities.
Uncovering the Fraud Through Physical Inspection
The scam began to unravel when these vehicles were brought in for mandatory fitness tests. RTO inspectors noticed deliberate alterations to the chassis numbers. In many instances, there were clear marks from grinders used to erase or overwrite the original identification numbers. When these suspect chassis numbers were verified with the original manufacturers, the companies confirmed that they had never produced vehicles with those specific numbers. Essentially, the vehicles were ghosts that did not exist in any official factory records.
Exploiting Loopholes in Registration Systems
The investigation further revealed that the gang exploited regions where online registration systems were implemented later, often by stealing old Registration Certificates (RC) to serve as a base for forgery. The RTO official, Vijay Chauhan, highlighted critical flaws in the registration process in Nagaland, claiming that vehicles were being registered without physical inspection, owner verification, or valid proof of local residency. He noted that the Motor Vehicle Act requires a thorough physical examination of any vehicle before registration, a rule that was completely bypassed by this network.
Ongoing Police Investigations and Vehicle Seizures
Acting on the RTO complaint, the police have launched a widespread investigation. While 495 suspicious trucks have already faced action, more than 1,000 vehicles are still pending verification. Police have successfully seized trucks in various locations, including Mumbai, Manmad, Nagpur, and Chandrapur. The RTO has clarified that the 223 vehicles with cancelled registrations must be taken off the roads immediately. Officials anticipate that as the investigation continues, further revelations regarding the scale of the syndicate will emerge, and the remaining vehicles will be processed shortly.
