Bengaluru: In a digital age where enforcement is increasingly automated, a growing tribe of Bengaluru’s two-wheeler riders have found the perfect loophole: no number plate, no penalty! They zip through signals, vroom dangerously through oncoming traffic on one ways, and vanish before anyone can blink.Despite the city’s steady ramp-up of AI-driven surveillance, bikes sporting tampered, hidden or missing number plates are slipping through the digital dragnet, also endangering everyone else on the road. According to the city traffic police data, 4,794 cases of missing plates and 20,644 defective plate cases were registered in 2024. In the first half this year, 1,695 cases pertaining to missing number plates and 4,885 defective number plate cases have been registered.Though data points out to decline in the number plate-related violations, a police officer said: “This drop is not because the problem has disappeared, it is because we haven’t been actively chasing it this year. Last year, we ran focused drives. This year, our attention shifted to other offences like overcharging by autos and cab drivers post the bike taxi ban and riding without helmets.” The officer added: “Moreover, the focus was on contactless enforcement last year and this only emboldened violators as cameras failed to net them.”Fellow motorists and daily commuters said bikes without plates has become common. Rahul Goyal, a businessman at SP Road near KR Market, said he spots 5 to 10 such vehicles daily on his 4-km commute. “This is being done to bypass the AI camera network. Many bikes don’t have number plates at all. And when they break traffic rules or are involved in road rage. How will the police trace them if there’s no number? These guys are the most notorious drivers on the road and are least bothered about their own safety and that of others.” Legal Loopholes Limit Police ActionSenior police officers said the Bengaluru traffic police earlier started booking cheating cases against such violators, treating the act as intentional avoidance of legal penalties. However, this approach hit a legal roadblock when the Karnataka high court ruled that driving without a number plate does not amount to cheating, limiting the scope for stricter action.INSET – 1Why vehicles without number plates pose serious risk:– AI cameras cannot detect or penalise such vehicles– Their other violations go undetected– Tracing and accountability become impossible in hit-and-run or road rage incidents– Such vehicles can be used in crimes like theft or robbery– Insurance claims are invalid if the other party has no traceable plate– Citizens cannot file complaints due to lack of identifiable detailsThe ‘Boss’ problemWhen it comes to defective number plates, numbers ‘8055′ on the plate has turned out to be a big challenge. “This number, which is obtained by paying a premium price, is written in a stylised manner in such a way that it reads like BOSS,” a senior officer said. Recently, Rajajinagar police cracked down on a SUV using a tampered plate reading “MR BOSS”. The swift enforcement by the police drew praise on social media.
