Pune: Wakad police on Thursday arrested an SUV owner from Tathawade for using an auto-hiding number plate to avoid traffic challans. The SUV owner, Vijay Dagade (44), was produced before a court and released on bail.“During the investigation, Dagade told us that he brought the auto-hiding number plate from Punjab,” an officer from Wakad police said. Dagade was tracked down by the Pimpri Chinchwad RTO after a video of his SUV’s auto-hiding number plate, purportedly shot on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway, circulated on social media. The RTO penalised him Rs4,500 for an unauthorised alteration to his vehicle. The RTO also found that the vehicle had 55 pending challans, amounting to Rs1.22 lakh. Most of the challans were issued for over speeding.Wakad police on Wednesday suo motu registered a case against Dagade. He has been charged under sections 336 (forgery), 318 (cheating) and 319 (cheating by personation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Dagade’s lawyer, Vijaysinh Thombare, told the court that though the alleged offence was serious, it was his first offence and he had no criminal record. Judicial Magistrate First Class Dipti Patil granted bail to Dagade on a personal bond of Rs25,000 and surety of the same amount. The court also warned him against committing any offence in the future.
