Hyderabad's 'Operation Kavach' cracks down on number plate tampering

Hyderabad Police's 'Operation Kavach' targeted tampered vehicle number plates in a massive night drive. Over 12,000 vehicles were inspected, leading to the seizure of 2,149 vehicles for violations including improper and fake registration plates.

With the paramount objective of maintaining public peace, order, and safety, the Hyderabad City Police executed a massive, synchronised enforcement drive on Thursday night under the operational codename 'Operation Kavach'. The intensive special drive, conducted on Thursday night from 10:00 PM to 12:00 AM, specifically targeted the tampering, alteration, and masking of vehicle registration number plates.

This illicit practice has not only emerged as a common stratagem for criminal elements to evade law enforcement agencies, but it also compromises public safety by wrongfully implicating law-abiding citizens via erroneously generated e-challans and criminal cases. To comprehensively mitigate this threat, Law & Order personnel were deployed on major thoroughfares to conduct rigorous inspections at strategically identified vital locations within the jurisdiction of every police station.

On-Ground Inspections and Enforcement

Hyderabad City Police Commissioner, VC Sajjanar (IAS), personally conducted field inspections at multiple vehicle-checking points, including Jubilee Hills-Venkatagiri, Madhuranagar-Krishna Kanth Park, Borabanda-Pili Dargah, Sanathnagar, and Ameerpet-Satyam Theatre, among other locations. Evaluating the operational execution on the ground, the Commissioner personally intercepted several vehicles to scrutinise their registration number plates. He engaged directly with non-compliant motorists, enquired into the reasons for their non-adherence to standard guidelines, and emphasised the legal imperative of maintaining standard, legible number plates as mandated by the law. Consequently, he instructed the enforcement personnel on duty to initiate strict statutory legal action against motorists found willfully violating the provisions.

Operation Statistics and Results

During the course of this operation, police personnel thoroughly inspected a cumulative total of 12,098 vehicles across various operational zones of the city. The inspected fleet comprised 8,802 two-wheelers, 1,693 four-wheelers, and 1,623 auto-rickshaws. The specialised drive successfully detected 1,406 vehicles with improper or altered number plates, 1,132 vehicles operating entirely without number plates, and 69 vehicles plying with counterfeit or fake registration plates. Accordingly, a total of 2,149 vehicles were summarily seized under the relevant provisions of the law, which included 2,046 two-wheelers, 52 four-wheelers, and 51 auto-rickshaws.

A statistical analysis across the zones indicates that the highest number of vehicular inspections was executed in the Rajendranagar Zone (2,376), followed by the Secunderabad Zone (2,230), and the Charminar Zone (2,171). Among the seized vehicles, the maximum volume of impounded property was recorded within the jurisdictions of the Golconda Zone (530) and the Charminar Zone (444).

Strategic Intent and Stern Warning

Speaking on the strategic deployment, the Hyderabad Police Commissioner, Sajjanar, stated that 'Operation Kavach' has been institutionalised to guarantee the robust safety and security of the citizens of Hyderabad. He explicitly warned that the deliberate tampering of registration number plates will no longer be classified or treated as a routine traffic infraction. The intentional alteration, distortion, or concealment of registration plates constitutes a direct hazard to institutional and societal security. He explained that anti-social elements and offenders frequently resort to bending plates, erasing alphanumeric characters, or using counterfeit numbers to mask their identity while committing offences. This malafide practice leads to innocent motorists receiving erroneous e-challans and risks wrongfully embroiling them in complex criminal investigations.

The Commissioner issued a stern warning that cases under the relevant sections for Cheating and Forgery will be registered against individuals found guilty of tampering with registration plates. He advised all motorists to maintain their registration plates in absolute compliance with the clear, legible standards prescribed by the Transport Department. He further instructed citizens to invariably carry valid, original statutory vehicle documentation whenever operating their vehicles. He clarified that while the current phase of 'Operation Kavach' primarily focused on two-wheelers, this special drive will be systematically expanded to cover all categories of transport and non-transport vehicles in a phased manner. He appealed to the general public to extend their complete cooperation to the police department to safeguard law and order across the city.

Supervisory Leadership

The extensive field operations and inspections carried out under 'Operation Kavach' were supervised and executed with the active participation of M Srinivasulu, IPS, who serves as the Additional Commissioner of Police (Crimes), while Tafseer Iqbal, IPS, holds the position of Additional Commissioner of Police (Law & Order). The Traffic department is overseen by D Joel Davis, IPS, in his capacity as Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), and N Swetha, IPS, serves as the Joint Commissioner of Police (Law & Order, North Range). Additionally, R. Venkateswarlu, IPS, acts as the Deputy Commissioner of Police (CAR Headquarters), and S Chaitanya Kumar, IPS, serves as the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crimes). Along with the Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) of all designated zones, including Kiran Khare, IPS (DCP Charminar zone), K Shilpavalli, IPS (DCP Khairthabad zone), S Srinivas, IPS (DCP Rajender Nagar zone), G Chandra Mohan (DCP Golconda zone), A Ramana Reddy (DCP Jubilee Hills zone), and B Rajesh (DCP Shamshabad zone). Furthermore, the leadership team includes V Aravind Babu, who serves as the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cyber Crimes), and Lavanya Naik Jadhav, who acts as the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Women Safety Wing). As well as several Additional Deputy Commissioners of Police (Addl. DCPs), Assistant Commissioners of Police (ACPs), and other senior law enforcement officials joined the field operations. (ANI)

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