250 fined in Delhi for ‘trying to hide’ vehicle registration numbers

Muktesh Chander, special commissioner of police (traffic), said that a special drive was started on Tuesday to prosecute drivers who were deploying various means to hide their registration numbers in order to dodge the police.

Delhi traffic police on Tuesday fined 250 vehicles for trying to hide registration plates, senior police officials said.

Police said local traffic teams manually inspected registration plates of vehicles and any obstruction to the plates were removed and drivers were fined. (Amal KS/HT Archive)

Muktesh Chander, special commissioner of police (traffic), said that a special drive was started on Tuesday to prosecute drivers who were deploying various means to hide their registration numbers in order to dodge the police.

“Our teams have been noticing that many drivers were using ribbons and ropes etc to hide their registration numbers. These methods were being used to prevent speeding and red light violation cameras from reading their number plates and in turn saving them from challans. My message to these drivers is that such ‘hacks’ are not going to work,” Chander said.

He added, “Delhi traffic police is keeping a close eye on such vehicles. Algorithms can figure out the correct registration number of the car and traffic cops will reach their homes to prosecute them.”

Chander said that in the special drive started against such vehicles, local traffic teams were manually inspecting registration plates of vehicles and any obstruction to the plates were removed and drivers were fined. On the first day of the drive, till 5pm, over 250 vehicles were prosecuted.

A week back, the Delhi traffic police had also started a drive against construction vehicles that hide their registration numbers by splashing cement mix onto the plate.

Last week, 149 vehicles working on construction sites, were fined after being caught with hidden registration plates.

“Many cement concrete mix carriers hide their number plates deliberately to avoid prosecutions by traffic police. If the drivers want they could keep it clean. Such vehicles will continue to be prosecuted now,” the traffic chief added.

Senior traffic officials said that the aim of such drives are to ensure that policing and prosecutions are done effectively and drivers are not able to dodge the law in any way.