[EzBreeze]

Our Dzire (silver colour) car is registered in Mumbai. We have received e challan for a Hyundai Verna (white colour and same number plate - as per car image visible in e-challan) for tinted glass. It means Hyundai Verna is using fake number plate by using my Dzire's number.
Please guide what action is required to be taken at my end to stop Hyundai Verna from using my car number and save myself from the breach of law done by Hyundai Verna. Please also guide the process of lodging online complaint to Mumbai RTO.

Thanks in Advance.

[speedmiester]

Originally Posted by EzBreeze

Please guide what action is required to be taken at my end to stop Hyundai Verna from using my car number and save myself from the breach of law done by Hyundai Verna. Please also guide the process of lodging online complaint to Mumbai RTO.

Thanks in Advance.

Recommend you to first file a police complaint and register a FIR in this case, then reach out to your RTO to get the issue sorted.
Involve a lawyer if required.
Do not take any chance, if the other car is used in unlawful activity then it will be a major headache to get it sorted.

[Rahul Bhalgat]

If the police system does not find time and priority to investigate this, you will need to spend some time and efforts to trace this car. What you can do is:

Find out the location where the image has been clicked for the challan.

Keep a watch at that location for a few days. It is likely that the same car will pass through the same location some time. I know, there is probability involved. But you need to try your luck. Try at around the challan time.

Once (and if) you find this car, follow it and trace it's residence. Then report to the police station in that area.

Parallely, do file a police complaint enclosing the copy of challan.

The person who fakes the car number plate is likely to generate many more challans because he will be care free, he won't bother. Keep looking for these challans and keep watching those places too. The car is likely to frequent at challan locations.

Keep all the traffic policemen at the challan locations informed personally about this car. They are more likely to spot it. And if they do, they will definately stop it.

I know, this involves time and efforts. You may hire a detective to do this, if you can afford.

[railfanwithk750]

Originally Posted by EzBreeze

Our Dzire (silver colour) car is registered in Mumbai. We have received e challan for a Hyundai Verna (white colour and same number plate - as per car image visible in e-challan) for tinted glass. It means Hyundai Verna is using fake number plate by using my Dzire's number.
Please guide what action is required to be taken at my end to stop Hyundai Verna from using my car number and save myself from the breach of law done by Hyundai Verna. Please also guide the process of lodging online complaint to Mumbai RTO.

Thanks in Advance.

Is the evidence image on the challan detailed enough and can you read the reg plates clearly? There's a possibility some similar letters or numbers getting misread in low-res photos. If that's the case then you can surely dispute.

[PaddleShifter]

I am not a legal expert. My recommendation is the following:

1. I see no point in doing the detective work etc. This is not Gotham that you will be able to deal with a person running fake number plate easily. Having seen the way lawyers work, I’d recommend staying away from them too unless there is no other option.

2. First of all, file a police complaint/FIR that someone is using your car’s plates on another car.

3. Submit a copy of this FIR to the RTO. Email a copy of FIR and other details to traffic police DCP and other higher officials in your area. Alternatively, you can directly write to the traffic police officials and email RTO as well.

4. Do you have some receipt from road tax payments/car purchase etc? You can also attach those additionally as proof of being the actual owner of this number.

Mention details in the email and do mention that you are worried that the Verna might be used for illegal activities. Request them to take immediate action.

Once you have all these evidences, you will be safe from any future headaches. In a democracy, the role of police can not be taken up by the citizen themselves beyond a certain limit. No point going after the Verna yourself.

[EzBreeze]

Originally Posted by speedmiester

Recommend you to first file a police complaint and register a FIR in this case, then reach out to your RTO to get the issue sorted.
Involve a lawyer if required.
Do not take any chance, if the other car is used in unlawful activity then it will be a major headache to get it sorted.

Sure, will definitely file a FIR. I could see a online process to file FIR at Mumbai police website. Is there a similar online process for Mumbai RTO too?

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

Find out the location where the image has been clicked for the challan.

Originally Posted by railfanwithk750

Is the evidence image on the challan detailed enough and can you read the reg plates clearly? There's a possibility some similar letters or numbers getting misread in low-res photos. If that's the case then you can surely dispute.

First challan happened on October 2021. The number plate was not clear, but while colour verna was clearly visible, so I launched an online grievance at the challan website. Nothing happened till date.

Second challan happened on 11th Jan 2022. Number plate is clearly visible in this challan's image. Hence my urgency to resolve this issue. Grievance on e-challan website lodged.

The e-challan has GPS coordinates. On googling those coordinates, October challan happened at Satara and January challan happened at Sangli near Kolhapur.

[Indian2003]

About 20 years ago I got a huge bill for parking and toll road fees. I had a car with that number plate on a Ford Granada that I scrapped around 1990. The case had been sent to a collection agency.

I got a copy of the documents that the car had been scrapped and that I got the 300 euros paid for scrapping your car.

The agency called me and asked me if I was going to pay before they took legal action and I told her that I would be sending them a letter with an explanation.

I made a photo copy of my finger and sent it to them. I never heard from them again.

This case gone on for about a year before some spark there checked with the Road Transport Department and found out the car had been scrapped.

[Rahul Bhalgat]

Originally Posted by EzBreeze

The e-challan has GPS coordinates. On googling those coordinates, October challan happened at Satara and January challan happened at Sangli near Kolhapur.

With the help from the moderators, you can PM your car number to the T-BHP members in Sangli, Kolhapur, Satara. You can request them to keep an eye when they spot a white Verna.

Also, you can send the car number to Kolhapur police and Sangli police (to the city commissioner as well as rural police) and briefly explain the case. Also send a copy to the Home Minister, Maharashtra State. At least this will absolve you in case the white Verna lands in a major trouble. And who knows, the police / Home Ministry may really circulate the number to the cops on the road.

I know, the above measures only create some limited chances of solving your problem. But this is better than nothing.

Moderators, can you please help EzBreeze with the list of T-BHP members from Sangli, Kolhapur, Satara? Also, please consider taking this thread on the home page (for a few days) with an appeal to help with well placed contacts in Sangli / Kolhapur / Satara police.

[Raghu M]

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

If the police system does not find time and priority to investigate this, you will need to spend some time and efforts to trace this car. What you can do is:

Find out the location where the image has been clicked for the challan.

Keep a watch at that location for a few days. It is likely that the same car will pass through the same location some time. I know, there is probability involved. But you need to try your luck. Try at around the challan time.

Once (and if) you find this car, follow it and trace it's residence. Then report to the police station in that area.

Parallely, do file a police complaint enclosing the copy of challan.

The person who fakes the car number plate is likely to generate many more challans because he will be care free, he won't bother. Keep looking for these challans and keep watching those places too. The car is likely to frequent at challan locations.

Keep all the traffic policemen at the challan locations informed personally about this car. They are more likely to spot it. And if they do, they will definately stop it.

I know, this involves time and efforts. You may hire a detective to do this, if you can afford.

I would differ here. Why should the person do all this? It's the job of the police. By doing all this, you are risking a person's life. Private detective? I think he should simply report the matter in the nearby police station. Appreciate your concern here but I don't think waiting, following and investigating is worth it. Filing a police complaint will ensure peace of mind, the challans need not be paid. That's it. I don't think anyone should go further and risk their lives trying to figure out who is using a fake number plate.

[srvm]

Originally Posted by EzBreeze

Our Dzire (silver colour) car is registered in Mumbai. We have received e challan for a Hyundai Verna (white colour and same number plate - as per car image visible in e-challan) for tinted glass. It means Hyundai Verna is using fake number plate by using my Dzire's number.
Please guide what action is required to be taken at my end to stop Hyundai Verna from using my car number and save myself from the breach of law done by Hyundai Verna. Please also guide the process of lodging online complaint to Mumbai RTO.

Thanks in Advance.

I agree with other BHPians that you need to act soon by filing an FIR.

If the Verna is involved/used in any anti-social activities, it will mean lot of headache for you later. I know for sure, because, I have been there and done that!
Read here (My experience: Vehicle with the same registration number as mine confiscated by the Excise Dept) for my experience and hope it helps you in some way.

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by EzBreeze

Second challan happened on 11th Jan 2022. Number plate is clearly visible in this challan's image. Hence my urgency to resolve this issue. Grievance on e-challan website lodged.

Involve a lawyer. All you need is a paper-trail to indicate that you have informed police + RTO about duplicate number being used.

It will cost about 10k for lawyer to draft initial complaint + follow ups to close the loop.

[clevermax]

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

The person who fakes the car number plate is likely to generate many more challans because he will be care free, he won't bother.

Thinking from a miscreant's shoes, this may not be likely. If I am doing this unlawful activity , I will steer clear of any speed cameras or anything else that is likely to generate a challan. This is because I would want to keep my unlawful activity at the lowest profile possible and I don't want to get noticed. I may also be aware of the fact that if any challans are generated, then the actual owner of this number would be notified and that would bring trouble for me.

Here the assumption is that the miscreant is smart. A dumb miscreant and his stolen registration number would soon be separated

[charanreddy]

Do not spend a lot of time and money here by engaging a lawyer etc. take a copy of the challan , your vehicle documents and file a police complaint . Describe your issue on a white A4 paper and attach the challan and your vehicle documents copy and get a police acknowledgment. Then scan and email or send a copy of these documents through registered post to traffic DCP in your city. Keep the originals safe incase you require them. Have a peace of mind as you have done your part .

[JReacher13]

I sense some shady business by service centers on duplicating numbers ( a hunch/ hypothesis, not really sure), though not in this specific case.

Whenever my friend takes his i20 for servicing, the owner details in their database were found changed to a specific person/ mobile number. When my friend confronted, got no clear reply from them. Planning to call up the number and see what the story on other side. I'll update if anything is interesting.

[Atul Kolekar]

I'd suggest a tweet tagging Mumbai police and RTO along with challan copy (Blur the details) and file an FIR. Their Twitter account is quite active. You'll get some response.