Two Maruti Suzuki Ertiga cars reached the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel around noon today. Both MUVs sported yellow registration plates.
Mumbai: A Mumbai cab driver’s desperate attempt to escape the car loan cycle by forging his number plate set off a chain of events that led to a big security scare at the iconic Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Colaba today.
Around noon today, two Maruti Suzuki Ertiga cars reached the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. Both MUVs had yellow registration plates, which means they were registered for commercial use. One of the vehicle owners spotted an identical car with the same number plate and alerted the cops.
The Taj Mahal Hotel, one of the targets of the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, is a sensitive area, and multiple security agencies keep a close watch here. So, as soon as police were alerted about two identical vehicles with the same number, they moved swiftly and tracked down the MUVs. The two cars were brought to the Colaba police station, and the drivers were questioned. What emerged was a bizarre tale.
Sakir Ali owns an Ertiga SUV that plies commercially. For over six months, he had received frequent intimations about challans and fines against the car’s registration number. Sometimes, these challans were as frequent as twice a week. What surprised Ali was that the vehicle never visited the areas where the challans were issued.
He also received intimations about evading toll charges. Ali approached traffic police with a complaint, but no solution could be found. “I would keep receiving intimations about fines.
We registered a complaint, too. He has finally been caught.” Earlier, a driver working for Ali had spotted the doppelganger car in Bandra and clicked a photograph. But the vehicle could not be tracked down then.
