Police raid shops selling fake number plates in Karol Bagh

Two days after Hindustan Times reported how a cottage industry of fake number plates had sprung to help people bypass the odd-even rule, Delhi Police on Sunday raided two shops in the motor market of Karol Bagh.

Two days after Hindustan Times reported how a cottage industry of fake number plates had sprung to help people bypass the odd-even rule, Delhi Police on Sunday raided two shops in the motor market of Karol Bagh.

A changeable number plate sticker available at Shastri motor market in Karol Bagh. (Sanchit Khanna/HT file photo)

According to police sources, an undercover team raided the shops posing as customers on Sunday morning. It was after a few minutes of interaction when the attendants started throwing all the alternatives which they could try to fool the police during the 15 days of the odd-even rule that they were nabbed.

“We have recovered a few rolls of stickers of numbers and alphabets used on the number plates, we also recovered magnets and a sack full of clear number plates. Our team also found out that these shops were making these fake number plates without any authentic documentary proof or verifying the identification of the customer,” said a police official.

Hindustan Times’ edition dated December 25 highlighted how fake number plates were being sold in Karol Bagh ahead of the odd-even days.

On Thursday, HT’s team had managed to get two number plates — one ending with an odd number and other with even — after paying just Rs 200 in Karol Bagh. There were no questions asked.

At Shastri motor market, shopkeepers showed us a range of ‘jugaad’ which we could use during the odd-even rule to trick the police and the government.

Fake number plates, stickers to alter the last digit in keeping with the odd-even formula, ‘reversible’ plates and many more cheat options were on offer.

“This is a heinous crime. Not just are they trying to trick the government and the police for the odd-even rule but it is a case of forgery. Any criminal can walk up to these shops and get a fake number plate and use it for a crime since they are so easily available,” said Muktesh Chander, special commissioner of police (traffic).