Challan ‘fraud’: Four traffic policemen suspended in Palwal

Bijendra Ahlawat

Tribune News Service

Palwal, July 7

Four policemen have been placed under suspension for their alleged involvement in financial irregularities in issuing challans to traffic violators.

The fraud was detected recently when Vikas Dang, a local resident, collected information under the RTI Act regarding challans issued by the police in particular cases. “I was shocked to find a mismatch in the challan amount mentioned on the receipts handed over to motorists and the amount entered in the official record,” he said, adding that the amount did not match in four out of five receipts as these had been overwritten by the policemen.

Giving an example, he said challan number 78 in the challan book number 1654 dated April 25, 2018, shows the amount of Rs 1,000 reduced manually by overwriting to Rs 100 at the time of submission of the amount details with the office concerned. “The last digit of 0 in Rs 1,000 has smartly been changed to Rs by the official concerned by overwriting,” he said.

On June 18, the matter was raised with Superintendent of Police Wasim Akram who got a probe conducted and found the allegations true, he said.

“Accused policemen EHC Deendayal, EASI Ranbir, EASI Naval and EHC Mohammed Rashid have been suspended and booked under Sections 409, 420, 467, 468 and 471 of the IPC,” said Akram. He said a departmental inquiry had also been ordered and the accused would be arrested soon.

He said the department would soon adopt the electronic method of issuing challan and take measures to plug the loopholes in the present system.

Sources said 685 challans had been put under scanner and the total amount involved in the fraud was nearly Rs 6.50 lakh. A majority of the irregularities reported in this regard pertained to vehicles registered outside the district or the state.