Police bare vehicle racket

Sandasen Marasinghe

Police have bared a racket where vehicle chassis numbers had been duplicated and identical number plates tagged on two lorries. The details of the racket came to light when two lorries with identical number plates were seized by the Special Crimes Investigation Unit of the Kurunegala Police.

The Police stated that the vehicles have been registered in 2003 with identical vehicle numbers.

Police added that the culprit has sold his lorry and thereafter the original vehicle registration book had been stolen from the file at the RMV when the documents were submitted there for registration.

Later on the culprit has duplicated the chassis number of the original vehicle registration book by changing the chassis number of another lorry.

Then he has sold the vehicle with the changed chassis number along with the original registration book. The original vehicle is sold with open papers.

The Police stated that the owner with the original registration book of the vehicle now has the vehicle with changed chassis number.

The owner of the original lorry has no registration book but open papers. Police also added that both vehicles have been transferred to many owners on several occasions. The original lorry has been sold to a person in Jaffna as well a few years ago.

Police added that one vehicle was seized at Kandy while the other was seized at Wariyapola. The owners of the vehicles have gone abroad. The suspect is still absconding.

The Police said the criminals tend to do these types of rackets if the other vehicle is a stolen one or it is used in some crime or other.

A group of Police under the guidance of Special Crime Investigation Unit of Kurunegala Police OIC IP RMIC Vilwala are conducting further investigation on the directions of SSP Vass Gunawardena.