The Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) of Surat city police has dismantled a major racket involved in creating fraudulent vehicle registration certificate (RC) smartcards. Five individuals were arrested, and it is alleged that they forged 200 RC smartcards, with the scam centered around removing original details and printing fake information on stolen smartcards.
The arrested suspects include Ankit Vaghasiya, Jitu Patel, Balo Kachhadiya, Satish Jilla, and Savji Dabhi. During the raid at Vaghasiya’s home in Sarjan Vatika Apartments in Dabholi, police seized 370 genuine RC smartcards, which were intended to be used for forgeries.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Raghvendra Vatsa explained that the scam was discovered following a tip-off. Vaghasiya confessed that Patel, a long-time RTO agent with 30 years of experience, would steal original RC smartcards from the RTO and deliver them to him. Patel’s access to the records room allowed him to pilfer the smartcards easily.
The modus operandi involved Kachhadiya and Jilla, owners of vehicle-seizing agencies, who would settle deals with banks and finance companies for seized vehicles. After obtaining No Objection Certificates (NOCs), they provided Vaghasiya with vehicle details. Vaghasiya would then erase the original data from the stolen RC smartcards using petrol and print new details on them with a smartcard printing machine.
Once forged, the cards were handed over to Dabhi, a vehicle dealer, who would sell them to unsuspecting buyers. The buyers, believing the cards were legitimate, would submit these fake RC smartcards to the RTO to transfer ownership.
Police believe the gang has transferred at least 200 vehicles using this method in recent months. “We are also investigating whether RTO employees, banks, or finance companies were complicit in the scam,” Vatsa added.
An offense has been registered under multiple sections including theft, trespassing, forgery, and conspiracy as the investigation continues to uncover the full scope of the racket.