Bhubaneswar: The Commissionerate Police Saturday arrested a man for using a fake number plate and an ‘Army’ sticker on his SUV.
The accused has been identified as Ratikant Satpathy (43)- a resident of Daruthenga area in Bhubaneswar.
According to a source, the registration number OD02Y-0023 has originally been allotted to Dhananjay Hota, a Bhubaneswar resident. Few days back, Hota had received challans amounting to around Rs 10,000 for violating traffic rules. A surprised Hota started enquiring into the matter. His vehicle is a white colour Mahindra XUV.
Hota luckily spotted the black colour Mahindra XUV with the same registration number while he was heading towards Jayadev Vihar Square. He gave it a chase and intercepted it near Jayadev Vihar. He then informed the police. Later, police reached the spot and took Ratikanta to custody.
Initially, Ratikanta warned policemen of dire consequences for harassing an Army officer. However, during the investigation, he confessed his misdeed and reintroduced himself as a software engineer.
The accused used to roam around in his SUV with ‘Army’ sticker affixed on its windshield in the city including high-security zones violating traffic rules. For his misdeeds, challans were served to Hota, the genuine owner of a car bearing the same registration number.
During investigation, Ratikanta told police that he had bought the vehicle from a potato wholesaler and has not changed its ownership. A detailed investigation is underway, it was learnt.
PNN