Vintage vehicle numbers sold to new cars in Rajasthan
Turns out, Rajasthan's RTO offices have been hit by a huge scam: officials and agents were sneaking pre-1990 "vintage" vehicle numbers onto new cars and bikes, just because those old-school plates are super popular.
This loophole in the digitization process let them quietly transfer these numbers, with a probe committee estimating a revenue loss of about ₹500 crore.
Scammers took advantage of the digitization process
The mess came to light last March when Jaipur's RTO noticed a suspicious pile-up of transactions.
Since then, two officials have been suspended and over 1,000 registration numbers flagged or canceled.
RTOs and DTOs have filed FIRs, and agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate have been reported to take cognisance.
If you own an old vehicle in Rajasthan, you're being urged to update your records.
The scam affected multiple district RTOs across the state.