In a major crackdown on a driving licence scam, the Kerala Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) has suspended two officials from the Tirurangadi sub-Regional Transport Office (RTO).
The suspended officials have been identified as Motor Vehicle Inspector C S George and clerk Najeeb, both residents of Tirurangadi. They are accused of colluding with agents to help applicants obtain driving licences without appearing for mandatory driving tests.
According to the investigation, the accused facilitated the issuance of licences through fraudulent means from Mysuru in Karnataka. These licences were later modified by altering addresses, photographs, and signatures to convert them into Kerala RTO certificates.
Given the large-scale nature of the scam, the Transport Department has recommended a vigilance inquiry. Preliminary findings suggest the existence of an organised network of agents operating mainly from Mysuru, allegedly in collusion with officials in Karnataka. These agents arranged licences using Mysuru addresses, which were later converted to Kerala addresses with assistance from local MVD staff.
The suspension followed the discovery that address change requests were approved despite glaring discrepancies, including mismatched photographs between the original Mysuru-issued licence and the updated Kerala version.
The scam surfaced during scrutiny of irregularities in the driving licence of Mohammed Basheer, a resident of Malappuram. His licence, issued by Mysuru West RTO in December last year, carried a different person’s photograph and signature. Within days of receiving the licence, Basheer applied for an address transfer to Kerala. Officials at the Tirurangadi sub-RTO subsequently issued a new licence with a Malappuram address and an updated photograph, raising serious red flags.
