Fake driving licence racket busted in Ahmedabad, two held, 556 fake licences seized

While interrogating the accused, it was revealed that three men from Jammu and Kashmir and three from Gandhinagar were involved in the crime. A police team is being sent to Jammu and Kashmir to nab the accused

Ahmedabad: The crime branch of Ahmedabad Police busted a fake driving licence racket while arresting two men and have seized 556 fake licences from them.

The accused, identified as Santosh Chauhan and Dhaval Rawat, work as agents in Gandhinagar RTO (Regional Transport Office). They were arrested with the help of the Military Intelligence (MI) unit.

The accused have been allegedly making the driving licences with the help of fake army documents from defence personnel, police said. Involvement of three persons from Jammu and Kashmir and three others from Gandhinagar has been revealed in this connection. The Ahmedabad Crime Branch has prepared a team that will go to Jammu and Kashmir in search of the three accused.

During investigation, police seized documents substantiating that driving licences were issued from Gandhinagar to Jammu and Kashmir residents on the basis of addresses of military cantonments in sensitive areas namely Uri, Pulwama, Antanag and Baramulla. Police said the accused, used to take Rs 5,000 to 9,000 for making fake licences.

According to the police, the fake driving license racket is operating for the last three years. Till now, over 2000 licenses have been provided to the Jammu and Kashmir residents.

While questioning Chauhan, it was revealed that he worked as a maintenance worker in the Indian Naval Hospital Ship (INHS) Asvini from 1991 to 2012. Since 2015, Chauhan has been residing in Gandhinagar and worked as an agent in the RTO. During this period, he came in contact with Ashfaq, Nazir and Wasim from Kashmir, and with their help started issuing fake driving licences.

The police have got five-day remand of the accused. Crime Branch PI Mitesh Trivedi said that more than 556 fake driving licences and canteen cards have been recovered from the accused and efforts are on to nab the others involved in the crime. There can be more revelations after the remaining accused are booked, police added.