Mumbai Police said they have started a detailed probe following the recovery of two cars with similar registration numbers on Monday parked near the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Colaba. The incident surfaced when the resident of Nariman Point named Sakir Ali, who is the legal owner of one of the said cars, identified another car with the same make and registration number, MH01 EE 2388, parked near the Gateway of India.
Sakir Ali reported the matter to the nearby Regional Transport Office (RTO), and with their help, Colaba Police was called in. Both the vehicles with their drivers were reportedly taken to the Colaba Police Station for further inquiry.
Primary canvassing suggested that the second car was also an Ertiga, and the owner of the car was identified as Prasad Kadam, residing at Seawoods, Navi Mumbai. As the police confirmed, Kadam has changed his car registration number to that of a car belonging to Ali. Kadam has been reported to have said that he had to make the change due to the inability to repay a car loan borrowed from Chola Mandalam.
Colaba Police took down the statements of both drivers and are now studying the attached details in order to decide on the legal procedure to be followed. “It was purposely used to avoid getting apprehended for loan recovery process,” a senior official said.
This has sparked concern about other car-related cons in the city. Law enforcement agencies call on car owners to alert them of any act or change in relation to registration numbers.
More to the investigation, police will have to look for other violations and also make sure that ways that will discourage or prevent such incidents in future are put in place. This case also teaches us that more protection has to be placed on public areas close to such large structures as the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel.
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