A 30-year-old doctor was caught allegedly driving his high-end BMW while “intoxicated” and using a flip-up license plate system that displayed two different registration numbers, police said Monday. The incident came to light on April 10 during a routine check in Jubilee Hills, where a man was found driving “drunk”. The car was secured and taken to the police station.
At the station, a constable accidentally pressed a button near the driver’s seat, which revealed the unusual feature, news agency PTI reported.
After pressing the button, the license plate turned around to show two different registration numbers – one from Delhi and the other from Telangana.
One of the number plates was registered in Telangana as ‘TS9FQ9999’ while the other bore a Delhi registration, ‘DL6CM7097’.
What has the investigation revealed so far?
Police said the doctor bought the car in Delhi but did not update its registration. An official from the Jubilee Hills police station said he bought the flip-up number plate system online and had it installed by a technician in the city about two years ago.
Further investigation revealed that a similar car with Telangana registration number belonged to one of his relatives.
Why was a double license plate used?
According to the police, the doctor was allegedly using both Delhi and Telangana registration numbers through the flip system on his vehicle.
Based on preliminary findings, officials suspect that he may have done so to avoid road tax. However, the exact motive is still under investigation.
Charges of impersonation and cheating were registered against the doctor along with offenses under the Motor Vehicles Act for drink driving. The police also issued a notice to him.
Officials said a technician involved in installing the system will also be investigated as part of the probe.
Meanwhile, a moving BMW caught fire on the road connecting New Chandigarh with Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport in Mohali. The incident took place on Sunday around 2.45pm.
According to a report by India Today, the car was moving normally before the sparks came out. Within seconds, thick smoke billowed out and the vehicle was quickly engulfed in flames.
Shortly after, there was a loud explosion. The driver acted quickly and managed to jump out of the car, saving his life.
The fire spread quickly and the luxury car became a mass of flames. By the time the fire department arrived at the scene, the car had already turned into a smoking wreck.
The incident caused temporary disruption to traffic on the busy stretch as authorities worked to bring the situation under control.
