[Kamikaze]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

I think the OP here might himself be using a faulty number plate.

I have stated my facts already: My plate is a High Security Number Plate (HSRP) issued by an authorized vendor within the KA02 RTO premises - replete with a hologram and other HSRP security features. The vendors had also confirmed that it is within guidelines to not have the leading zero.

[phamilyman]

This is pretty common up north - a substantial % of people deliberately remove one digit to avoid being caught and challaned. You've done all you could. Keep the photos as proof and get a copy of the letter to the RTO with their receiving stamp, for your future reference.

Need not worry any further.

[sukhoi30]

Good thing you took steps to clarify with the driver about the number plate. Its absolutely illegal to drive with illegal number plates. You should raise this with the traffic department who can then issue a "red corner notice" to all their personnel on the field to track down this vehicle and fine the owner. Don;t forget to mention the make and color of the offending vehicle as otherwise you will get hauled up.

About people discussing here on the four digit format .. I too have the number plate as 913 but in my registration card it is 0913. So far, no cop has told me it was illegal and I was also not aware of the fact. I have seen several vehicles having 1 or 2 digits with leading zeroes missing. Aren't they illegal too? For e.g. numbers with 1, 2 or 12, 13 etc.

[hrman]

Wow!! Good for you to catch this guy and confront him.It does look like a deliberate attempt by him to hide his vehicle's identity.

I had read somewhere that up North, when some criminals commit a crime using their own vehicle, they will deliberately splash muck/ mud to some part of the registration plate, to mask off the identifiable characters. To the cops, they will merely tell the muck came from the road and they cannot help it..

[sajusherief]

Good that you went to the RTO and clarified. But, what still confuses me is the fact that as someone mentioned, how can both front and back number plates miss the same digit?
Moreover, I did a search in "Search for traffic violation" and found that he got a parking ticket which is unpaid.

[prashanthyr]

Let me narrate an incident that happened to me - We have a 2003 Honda Activa scooter registered in my name. One fine day in Oct 2012, we get 2 notices from BTP about 'Jumping red light' and 'riding without helmet'. Now both these are impossible in our family. So dad and me both go to BTM layout police station (next to Shopper's stop) and show the notice to the cop on duty and tell him there must be a mistake. He's like - we have pictorial evidence, let me show you. This was a picture taken by one of the constables using their hand held cameras. Lo and Behold - they have two pics of a vehicle with the same number as my Activa, though in Kannada and it just happens that the vehicle is a TVS Victor motorbike!
When we recovered from the shock, we took the cop outside and showed him the scooter, the RC book and insurance certificate. He said - Sir - this is fairly prevalent and very little we can do. He further advised us to approach the RTO for a certificate from their side that the reg no in question was in fact registered to our scooter in order to cancel the notice and prevent further notices.

I suggest you approach the RTO and obtain this certificate ASAP and keep it with you, so that if you get a notice like this, you have some defence.

What you did with the other car was pretty risky - thankfully it turned out ok. I hope you have got his tel no / address so that you can check after a while if he's corrected the mistake. If he's not corrected, you may want to post on BTP facebook page - they are pretty responsive.

[swiftnfurious]

These are one of those incidents where I feel like a moron following the rules. The other times are when I am at the red signal idling while others speed past. The one who have a field day bending all rules.

Originally Posted by Kamikaze

Here is how it happened:

I am cruising along ORR near the Bangalore University when I come up behind this white ford fiesta driving sedately. The first thing I notice about this car is the number: KA02 MF681.

My thoughts: Oh look! Another number similar to mine. Wait... Duh! it is the SAME as mine! ...

You have a good way of writing too. Since all the 3 pages have good info the reasons and what next, I shall take a slight deviation.

I was in a similar situation once. I was driving and suddenly saw a red swift with race stripes (exactly the way I have done, which is a rarity) and also the exact same number! For a second my heart stopped beating till my niece shouted "Grand Pa" pointing her fingers at the swift and then I realized that I was driving my dad's car and he was driving mine.

Originally Posted by .anshuman

Precisely the reason why many states in North India issue numbers as '0681' and not just '681'.

In Kerala also, we have the "4 digit" rule where one need to have 4 digits in the number plate at any cost. If the registration numbers are less than 4 digits, then the additional numbers should be filled by zeros in the front.

Originally Posted by benbsb29

Since someone has taken the pains to clean off the last digit on both the front and rear number plates, it could be a case of taking the law for a ride. Among the oldest of tricks, where someone else pays for your thrills.

+1. It can NOT be a coincidence that both the plates have the same number erased while "washing". It is also strange that no other number on the plate got "washed off".

==============================================

I also recall one incident in Bangalore where two private air buses were parked (after caught by the police/RTO) face to face with the exact same registration number. They probably had a good time as these buses go interstate every day and rarely come together at the same place on the same day.

Edit::

Originally Posted by Kamikaze

....Now, my next thoughts - what should my immediate actions be? Should I stop him and question him? What if he pulls out a gun - after all he could be a gangster right? ...

Though I was quite serious about the post, this portion had me in splits. Your thinking is absolutely fine but imagining this (keeping myself in the frame), I could NOT stop laughing myself. Hence the slight deviation and humour in my post. Hope I don't offend you!

[Kamikaze]

Originally Posted by prashanthyr

What you did with the other car was pretty risky - thankfully it turned out ok. I hope you have got his tel no / address so that you can check after a while if he's corrected the mistake. If he's not corrected, you may want to post on BTP facebook page - they are pretty responsive.

I agree that it was pretty risky. Unfortunately, with no police in sight, there was little else I could have done apart from letting him go scott free - and that would have been a travesty of justice.

In hind sight, I am happy that I stopped him and also that it worked out alright. Else, I would not have learnt that his full number was 6813.

Also, just to be sure that I represent facts rightly - would like to reiterate that his front number plate still had some bits of the last "3" visible - which is how I could make out that the number he claimed was right. Also, when the RTO ran a check on the number, it matched the vehicle pictured.

Considering this, I have a hope that this is a genuine mistake (or at least that there is no malice intended). However, that said, I will have to take all steps for my own protection - which I will.

Given the benefit of hindsight - I am kicking myself that I did not take the owners phone number and a pic of the front number plate. This could have helped me build my case and also check back with the owner in a few days to ensure that the error is rectified.

[Soumyajit9]

This is a clear case of Intentional Number Tampering.
I do not see a space to write 3 at the end, unless it can be cramped into the space.
The blank space on both sides of the number are of equal width.
Could be a result of using fake numbers to escape the crackdown on Non-KA vehicles.

Action you should take, like everyone said:
Report this matter to BTP and RTO with photos printed as evidence.\
Give a written complaint and take an acknowledgement.
Keep it safe with you all the time. Make a photocopy and keep alongwith car documents.

[vnidta]

Numberplates.., hmmm... That reminds me of an incident that happened to my own car. I had a Ford Ikon 1.6 2 years ago and it turned out to be a maintenence nightmare (for all reasons attributed to my lack of knowledge on cars.., as it was my first). It was a used car and I used it for almost 3 months and due to the mounting bills, had to let go of it. Kept it with the same dealer with whom I got it. The dealers, as they do, gave the car for polishing and painting and also got a new set of number plates onto it as the one on the car had gone for a toss (a small accident had the front plate in pieces of course). But to my horror, he made a "MINOR" mistake, which would have ben a "MAJOR" mistake if I hadn't noticed. The actual number was KA-XX-MB-XXXX, but the number plate had KA-XX-MD-XXXX. He replaced the "B" with "D". If he had sold it the way it was, both the new owner, myself and the poor owner of the "MD" series would have got into trouble. Thankfully, I noticed it and got it corrected.

And yeah, what you did was quite a brave thing Kamikaze.! Also, you were lucky as the others have mentioned. If the guy turned out to be a gangster, I could only imagine scenes from movies.

[500HP]

hi Kamikaze,

My name is PRITISH. Even I had a same experience as yours probably an year ago. We had a Honda Activa which showed its ageing. So we finally decided to buy the Vespa 125 which had been very recently launched through the exchange offer. On the day of booking I told my dad that I would drain off the remaining petrol which could be used for my Karizma When I went to the nearby garage to remove petrol, I was shocked to see one more identical Karizma with identical registration. I immediately called up the cops and when checked, we came to know that it was a stolen bike. Cops told that these kind of malpractices were increasing in the city. So I request all the bhpians to be aware of it.

[Aasim Shehzad]

Hi,

Send an email/letter by registered post to the Commissioner of Police and RTO about the incident. Mention in your letter that you are writing in abundant caution as you are unsure if the person would fix the correct number plate and would require them to investigate if he has done it. This will absolve you of any liability under law.

BR
Aasim

[asethi]

Now as for the wrongly written number like not including all 4 digits, the same thing applied to the other part of the registration number as well. I've noticed many cars, mostly KL & GJ registered which do not have first part of the number correct like KL-07XX is written as KL-7XX which is actually incorrect.

[Vitalstatistiks]

Wow. I can imagine you shock. But hear this. If you remember a couple of years back, a phone number of RTOs was circulated, where if you texted vehicle's number, it replied with make of vehicle, owner's name, year of registration etc. Of course there was an issue, and they pulled it down in a few days, but I had fun during those days. Scariest part was the number of vehicles running on fake number plates, in Mumbai ! I was trailing a souped up Innova, and RTO told me the number is registered in the name of a Scooty Pep !!

[wheeledsoul]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

Precisely the reason why many states in North India issue numbers as '0681' and not just '681'.

Down south too. My 3 digit number was prefixed with '0' and issued as a 4 digit number. I am from Hyderabad and this was way back in 2002.