Patna: The Bihar Police have taken a series of measures to curb insurance fraud and improve traffic enforcement, including the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the Crime Investigation Department (CID) to probe suspected ‘vehicle implant’ scams, stricter norms for issuing traffic challans and a directive to release accident-hit vehicles within 24 hours after completion of formalities.The move follows recent Supreme Court observations on fraudulent compensation claims in road accident cases through vehicle implantation. A vehicle implant fraud involves falsely linking an insured vehicle to an accident to secure compensation from an insurance company.“The SIT will investigate cases referred by insurance companies where complaints indicate possible fraud. Such cases not only lead to wrongful compensation payouts but also put financial pressure on insurers, potentially resulting in higher insurance premiums for genuine policyholders,” said Sudhanshu Kumar, ADG (Traffic), on Sunday.In a separate measure, Police Headquarters (PHQ) directed that traffic challans be issued only on the basis of clear photographic or video evidence. Traffic violations are currently detected through Handheld Devices (HHDs), Integrated Command and Control Centres (ICCCs) and Highway Patrol Vehicles (HPVs).“Officials deployed for traffic management have been directed to issue on-the-spot challans on the basis of clear photographic or video evidence, including the date, time and location of the violation,” Kumar said.He said PHQ had received reports that some personnel were capturing photographs on their phones and keeping them in draft mode and later cancelling them or issuing challans at their discretion.To curb such practices, officials have been instructed not to issue challans merely on the basis of a vehicle’s registration number. Photographs must clearly establish the violation, such as riding without a helmet or driving without a seat belt. Disciplinary action will be taken against personnel found issuing challans on the basis of incomplete evidence.PHQ has also directed all police stations to release vehicles involved in road accidents within 24 hours of completion of formalities. A district-level monitoring system headed by DSPs (Traffic) has been put in place to ensure compliance. Vehicle owners facing difficulties can lodge complaints with police headquarters through WhatsApp, calls or SMS.Meanwhile, PHQ is seeking to accelerate disposal of pending traffic challans through the state’s One-Time Traffic Challan Settlement Scheme-2026. Challans pending for more than 90 days can be settled through National Lok Adalats. However, only 66,964 police-issued challans were disposed of during the National Lok Adalat held on Sept 12, prompting PHQ to call for greater public participation in the settlement process.
