RTO officials, private firm, agents hand in glove | Mumbai news - Hindustan Times
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RTO officials, private firm, agents hand in glove

Hindustan Times | By, Mumbai
Jun 10, 2011 01:23 AM IST

Debasish Panigrahi

A fake driving licence racket allegedly in connivance with RTO officials, private software professionals and RTO agents was unearthed by the cyber crime police station at the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) on Thursday.

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The total number of fake licences issued by the accused, which can be ascertained only after the culprits are arrested and interrogated, could run into several thousands, sources at the cyber crime police station said on Thursday.

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More than 347 licences were issued using fraudulent means, said a police officer at the BKC.

The police said a chunk of the Andheri RTO’s work was outsourced to a private software company for the past two years.

“Company officials handled the entire process — from processing the applications to printing the licences. A handful of RTO officials supervise this process,” sources said.

The police found that many fake licences were issued by accused by subverting established processes for scrutinising the applicant’s bonafides.

“These licences were issued without showing the papers to the authorities concerned, who are signatories on the licence,” sources added.

The source said, “The members of the racket (who have been identified) will be arrested soon and the hardware used for issuing fake licences will be seized,” adding that the culprits have been booked for fraud, criminal breach of trust and under the relevant sections of the Information Technology Act.

Joint commissioner of police, crime, Himanshu Roy, while confirming the registration of the case, said that the investigation would be done on a priority basis since such fraud could have serious security implications.

“Since a driving licence is considered to be a critical identity proof, it (such fakes) has a potential for abuse by anti-social and anti-national elements. We are determined to take the investigation to its logical conclusion and unearth the entire scam,” he added.

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Debasish has been an investigative reporter for nearly two decades, covering crime, legal and social issues. He is also interested in wildlife, travel and environmental issues.

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