Hyderabad: How number plate tampering led to challans to unsuspecting motorist

Hyderabad: Hyderabad Traffic Police have arrested a two-wheeler rider for tampering with his vehicle’s registration number in an attempt to evade e-challans.

The move has resulted in multiple traffic fines wrongly issued to an unsuspecting vehicle owner.

Complaint leads to detection

The case came to light after Faheem Ali, the registered owner of a two-wheeler bearing registration number TS11 EZ 2836, approached the Hyderabad Traffic Police, complaining that repeated traffic challans were being generated against his vehicle for violations he had not committed.

Following verification, traffic police discovered that another rider had been fraudulently using the same registration number by altering his original number plate.

Digit altered to mislead authorities

Police identified the accused as Syed Aliuddin, a resident of Malakpet. His two-wheeler was originally registered as TS11 EZ 2936. In order to avoid enforcement action, he deliberately altered one digit on the number plate to read TS11 EZ 2836, thereby misusing the complainant’s vehicle identity.

Using the fake and tampered number plate, the accused committed several traffic violations, leading to the wrongful generation of 23 e-challans against the legitimate vehicle owner.

CCTV and ANPR cameras aid arrest

Based on technical analysis and CCTV surveillance, traffic police traced the accused’s movements and established his involvement in the offence. A criminal case was subsequently registered at Chaderghat Police Station, and the accused was taken into custody.

Case registered under BNS and Motor Vehicles Act

An FIR (No. 48/2026) has been registered under Sections 319(2) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 158 and 177 of the Motor Vehicles Act. Further investigation is currently underway.

Police issue public warning

Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), D. Joel Davis, cautioned that using fake or tampered number plates is a serious criminal offence and will attract strict legal action.

He said the Hyderabad Traffic Police are equipped with advanced enforcement systems, including CCTV surveillance and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras, enabling effective detection and tracking of vehicles using fraudulent registration numbers.

How to report misuse of vehicle numbers

Citizens suspecting misuse of their vehicle registration numbers can report the issue through:

Website: https://echallan.tspolice.gov.in

Email: echallanhelpdesk.hyd@gmail.com

WhatsApp: 8712661690

Police urged vehicle owners to remain vigilant and promptly report any irregularities.