Three Arrested in Charminar for Using Same Registration Number on Three Scooters

The Hyderabad Commissioner’s Task Force (Charminar team) on Sunday arrested three men for allegedly using a single vehicle registration number on three different Honda Activa scooters. The fraudulent setup was designed to evade traffic law enforcement, vehicle loan repayments, and financial recovery proceedings.

The apprehended individuals have been identified as Nakoti Mallikarjun, a 28-year-old lighting business operator from Parsigutta; Bheem Ajay Reddy, a 29-year-old businessman also from Parsigutta; and Koppula Dhanraj, a 30-year-old collection agent from Sanjeevapuram.

According to the police, the scheme came to light when the Task Force intercepted Bheem Ajay Reddy while he was riding a scooter bearing the registration number TS09 FE 4997. A detailed verification of the vehicle through official transport databases revealed that its engine and chassis numbers did not match the registered details.

Further investigation revealed that the detained scooter was actually an unregistered financed vehicle originally owned by an individual named Sai Ram. The vehicle had been handed over to Mallikarjun as part of a pending debt arrangement.

To avoid paying an outstanding loan of Rs 36,000 to IndusInd Bank, Mallikarjun allegedly affixed a duplicate number plate belonging to his own registered Honda Activa onto the unregistered vehicle.

Ande Srinivasa Rao, Additional DCP of the Task Force, stated that Mallikarjun also shared the duplicate number plate with his associate, Koppula Dhanraj. This allowed Dhanraj to operate a third unregistered scooter under the exact same registration number.

By circulating the single registration number TS09 FE 4997 across three separate scooters, the suspects successfully misled government authorities, avoided traffic challans, and evaded financial recovery actions before being apprehended.