Chandigarh: A major vehicle registration scam has been unearthed at the Ambala Cantonment sub-divisional magistrate’s (SDM) office, exposing large-scale irregularities and raising concerns over possible administrative complicity.According to preliminary findings, a copy of which is with TOI, vehicles from other states, particularly from those in the south, were registered at the SDM’s office using fake addresses, allegedly to exploit lower registration charges in Haryana.Investigators have identified 213 vehicles that were fraudulently registered. Estimates suggest Rs 1-2 lakh per vehicle may have been illicitly collected, indicating a large-scale financial irregularity.The findings raise serious questions about internal involvement, as such activities are unlikely without alleged collusion of staff within the SDM office. Investigators suspect the role of an organised network.Several vehicles, including hydraulic mobile cranes and self-propelled combine harvesters, were found to belong to individuals or firms based in distant locations such as Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu and Bengaluru in Karnataka. The report identified seven cases of tractor registrations where owners had no link to Haryana, used fake temporary addresses and provided no proof of land ownership (jamabandi) in the state.In most cases, valid insurance papers and motor vehicle inspector (MVI) certificates, critical to road safety, were missing.Authorities are also probing whether stolen vehicles may have been routed through these fraudulent registrations.The revelations are based on an inquiry report submitted to the Ambala deputy commissioner, highlighting multiple procedural lapses and suspicious transactions. The scam is believed to have caused significant revenue loss to the state.The committee termed it a “clear-cut case of intentional revenue loss” involving “malafide intent” by vehicle owners and SDM office staff, and noted “high possibilities” of forged or fabricated documents, warranting a detailed criminal probe.Sources said a police case is likely to be registered soon. The inquiry was ordered on March 30 and the report was received recently. Ambala DC Ajay Tomar did not respond to calls or messages.GHOST FIRMS FLAGGEDCase 1 (HR85-K-6134) | Hydraulic mobile crane registered to ‘K.P. Construction” at Dukheri village; patwari report found no such firm. Owner traced to Tamil NaduCase 2 (HR85-K-5781) | Registered to “SR Crane Services” at Ghel Kalan; firm found non-existent. Owner based in CoimbatoreKEY LAPSESMandatory Forms 20, 21 and 22 missing; only unverified photocopies on recordNo valid insurance papers or MVI certificatesRegistrations without valid ID or proof of residence in AmbalaWHAT RULES SAY | Under existing norms, vehicles can be registered only where the owner ordinarily resides. In these cases, vehicles from states such as Tamil Nadu and Nagaland were registered in Ambala using fake local addresses. The scam is suspected to be aimed at evading taxes, penalties or masking other violations, including the possibility of stolen vehicles being registered.
