Internal inquiry into vehicle registration scam
The Department of Motor Traffic has instigated an internal inquiry into a forged vehicle registration racket that came to light with the recent revelation of selling vehicles using registration certificates stolen from the department three years ago, the head of the department said.
Motor Traffic Commissioner-General S.H. Harischandra told the Business Times that necessary control and procedures are being
S.H. Harischandra
followed in the registration of vehicles but this fraud had been committed by using bundles of empty vehicle registration papers stolen in 2011.
He said that he has ordered an inquiry to find out as to whether there was an involvement of any official of the department in this scam and take disciplinary action against persons connected to the fraud.
The Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau of the Police has recorded statements of 10 officials of the department following the arrest of a driver attached to the department and six others in connection with the vehicle racket, where the key suspect had stolen bundles of vehicle registration books and sold them for Rs.5,000 to Rs.10,000 each.
He noted that all these certificates had been cancelled by blocking the serial numbers in the computer system.
“This current detection was made because the checks showed that the number had been blocked,” he explained.
He said that the officials of the department have been alerted to check these certificates, whenever anybody brought in a registration certificate to them for re- registrations.
He made a request from new buyers of vehicles to contact the department to find out the genuineness of registration certificate.
Certificate numbers BX-0017001 to BX-0018000 have been blacklisted, Mr. Harischandra said.
The department is also planning to introduce a new registration certificate along with a plastic card with vehicle data as an additional security measure, he added.