Hyderabad Traffic Police faced online criticism after their unusual response to a social media complaint regarding a vehicle with an illegal and stylized number plate. A user posted a rear photograph clearly showing the altered lettering.
Hyderabad Traffic Police faced online criticism after an unusual response to a complaint about a vehicle's stylised number plate went viral on social media. The department initially asked an X user to share a photograph of the vehicle from the front, even though the questionable lettering was already visible in the image. It later deleted its original reply, acknowledged the violation and confirmed that action was being initiated against the vehicle owner.
The incident began on October 24, when X user Serish shared a photograph of an electric vehicle spotted near Panjagutta signal in Hyderabad at 4:14 pm. The registration plate featured non-standard lettering that appeared to spell out ‘SRI’, with the numbers displayed in a stylised font that made them difficult to distinguish.
Tagging Hyderabad Police and the Regional Transport Authority (RTA), Serish asked where he could get a similar number plate with the numbers 5121.
Responding to the post, Hyderabad Traffic Police initially wrote, “Sir, the violation is not clearly visible as the image has been taken from the rear side. Kindly share a clear image of the vehicle from the front, so that necessary action can be taken.”
The response puzzled social media users, who questioned why another photograph was necessary when the non-standard lettering was visible in the original image.
The department subsequently deleted its first reply and posted a revised response acknowledging the issue.
“Thank you for flagging this, Sir. The non-standard lettering on the number plate is clearly visible, and the rules apply equally to front and rear plates,” the police said.
It added that the vehicle details had been verified and action was being initiated under the Motor Vehicles Act. The department also reiterated that only standard High-Security Registration Plates (HSRP) are permitted.
By then, the initial response had already attracted considerable attention online. Some users poked fun at the apparent oversight, while others questioned the department's handling of the complaint.
Although the police eventually confirmed that action was underway, its deleted reply became the main talking point, turning a complaint about a questionable number plate into a viral social media debate.
