Ghost numbers help overloaded trucks dodge tolls in India

Fake vehicle numbers and non-existent state codes on toll receipts were key elements of a major transport fraud in Lucknow involving overloaded trucks fitted with High Security Registration Plates (HSRP), officials have found. Many of these trucks originated from mining belts and used the false details to evade hefty penalties.

The irregularity surfaced after the transport department scrutinised toll data from January and February, particularly from the Itaunja and Nawabganj toll plazas, and found widespread discrepancies in registration details of overloaded vehicles, News.Az reports, citing Hindustan Times. 

ARTO (Enforcement) Alok Kumar Yadav said many toll receipts carried non-existent state codes such as “MA” and “MT”, which are not recognised vehicle registration prefixes anywhere in India.

“For example, Maharashtra uses MH, while other states use codes such as MP, ML, MN or MZ. But the toll data included trucks recorded with codes like MA and MT, which simply do not exist,” Yadav said.

Officials said the anomaly is particularly serious because the vehicles themselves were fitted with HSRP plates, which are meant to ensure traceability and authenticity, yet the corresponding toll receipts reflected entirely fake registration details.In several cases, overloaded trucks carrying 20 to 30 tonnes above permissible limits were shown in toll records against numbers that either did not exist in any database or belonged to unrelated vehicles such as two-wheelers, e-rickshaws and private cars.

According to the transport department, more than 1,600 entries examined so far were found to be fake, mismatched or untraceable, severely hampering enforcement.

“If the number mentioned in the toll receipt is fake or belongs to another category of vehicle, challans cannot be issued and overloading penalties cannot be imposed,” Yadav said.The nexus came to light during a checking drive on April 3 near Daroga Kheda on the Kanpur-Lucknow highway, when an overloaded truck bearing number UP32ZN8925 was intercepted after crossing Nawabganj toll plaza on the Unnao-Lucknow border.

News.Az