Vigilance Bureau Uncovers RTA-State Driving Centre Nexus in Fake Heavy Driving Licence Scam
Chandigarh, August 5
-Four Arrested, Including Motor Vehicle Inspector; Three Accused Still at Large
In a significant crackdown on corruption, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has exposed a major racket involving the issuance of fake heavy vehicle driving licences, revealing a nexus between officials of the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) Gurdaspur, the State Institute of Automobile and Driving Skills Centre (SIADS) in Mahuana, Sri Muktsar Sahib, and private document agents in Gurdaspur. The VB has registered a corruption case against seven accused, with four, including a Motor Vehicle Inspector (MVI), arrested so far.
Investigation Details
A VB spokesperson revealed that the investigation was triggered by a complaint from a Pathankot resident, leading to a probe into Pratibha Sharma, a Data Entry Operator at RTA Gurdaspur. Following thorough inquiries, the VB filed FIR No. 32 on August 4, 2025, at the VB Police Station, Amritsar Range, under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, Indian Penal Code (IPC), and Information Technology Act.
The investigation found that 23 out of 51 driving training certificates allegedly issued by SIADS Mahuana were fraudulent, with only 27 legitimate certificate numbers on record. Key authenticity markers, such as unique certificate numbers, QR codes, and embedded mobile numbers in receipt numbers, could only be manipulated by institute officials. Discrepancies in these parameters confirmed the certificates were forged.
watch….Punjab Vigilance Bureau Arrests PSPCL Junior Engineer Caught Accepting ₹15,000 Bribe
Role of Private Agents and Financial Trails
The probe exposed the involvement of private agents from Kulbir Documents Center, Shelly Documents Center, GMD Documents Center, and Punjab Documents, who sourced applicants and facilitated fake documentation in exchange for bribes. Financial trails revealed direct payments from these agents into the bank accounts of Rakesh Kumar, a former RTA Data Entry Operator now at the SDM Office in Batala, and Pratibha Sharma. Sukhdev Singh, a Light Motor Vehicle (LMV) Instructor and GI Driving In-charge at SIADS Mahuana, abused his system access to generate fake certificates, causing a financial loss to the state by illegally claiming a ₹430 government fee per certificate.
Arrests and Ongoing Efforts
The VB has arrested four key accused:
-
Sukhdev Singh, MVI and GI Driving In-charge at SIADS Mahuana, resident of Maidowal Kalan, Gurdaspur.
-
Amit Kumar (alias Shelly), Shelly Documents Center.
-
Jagpreet Singh, Punjab Documents.
-
Rakesh Kumar, currently posted in Batala.
Raids are underway to apprehend the remaining three accused: Kulbir Singh (Kulbir Documents Center), Rakesh Kumar (GMD Documents Center), and Pratibha Sharma (RTA Gurdaspur). The arrested individuals will be presented before a competent court on August 6, 2025. The investigation remains ongoing to uncover further details.
