Boipariguda: The Transport department has made driving licences mandatory for all drivers of two, three and four-wheelers. Police and officials of the RTO organise crackdowns regularly to catch those who are driving without a proper license. Penalties and fines are imposed to prevent license-less driving. So these days, people are apprehensive about driving without proper documents. Sensing it as an opportunity to make money, fraudsters have spread their tentacles in the remote areas of Koraput district. They are selling fake driving licences to gullible tribal youths in the localities of Lamtaput, Boipariguda and Nandapur blocks for hefty sums. The matter came to the fore when police caught two persons who were driving without a proper license here. They were fined Rs 5,000 each.
Police while examining their licences found those as fake. Bhagaban Khara of Kumuda village under Chipakur panchayat and Santosh Kirsani of Nisina village under Mathapada panchayat then told the police that they had paid Rs 5,000 each to acquire the licences. While the licence of Bhagaban had the number ‘OD 10 20220009053’, Santosh had got a licence with the number ‘OD 10 20220009051’. They alleged that two youths from Bariniput village near Jeypore visited Nisina village with a laptop during the lockdown last year. They assured the victims of getting licence without undergoing any driving tests.
Later, over 40 tribal youths from nearby Rabarti, Dudhabeda and Kudaljodi villages under Chipakur panchayat and Rupaguda, Nisina, Kharaguda and Berengapadar villages under Mathapada panchayat gathered to get licences. The fraudsters collected Aadhaar cards and some money as advance from the youths. One of them then asked the youths to visit an online café at Bariniput village. The fraudster said that his shop is located prominently on the Jeypore-Koraput national highway and the RTO office also functions from there. The fraudsters also told the applicants that they will have to visit the café and just collect their licences after getting a photograph clicked. Both Bhagaban and Santosh told the police that several youths have been duped by the fraudsters.
As per rules, a person wanting to get a driving licence has to apply online. Initially the person is given a learner’s licence. After a few months, the person has to appear for an online test to get the main licence. However, there are still many tribals who are not aware of the rules. As a result some unscrupulous persons are taking advantage of this situation. They are providing ‘fake’ licences to the applicants charging anything between Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000, sources said.