RAWALPINDI: Police have unearthed a bogus office of the city traffic police which allegedly issued driving licences. The police said Nek Mohammad, a former police official, was operating the bogus office in a photo copier shop at the Jhanda Chichi locality of the city.

After his arrest, the accused confessed to issuing more than 60 bogus driving licences of different categories, including light and heavy vehicle driving licences. Besides, over 80 applicants were on his waiting list.

Shoaib Khuram Janbaz, the senior superintendent of the traffic police, confirmed to Dawn that the police had unearthed the bogus unit of the traffic police and seized more than 70 files containing application forms, NICs and photographs of the applicants.

Getting a driving licence normally takes several weeks involving a driving test, but the applicants in the bogus office had just to pay Rs6,000 for a motor car driving licence, Rs3,500 for an international driving licence and Rs15,000 for a heavy vehicle driving licence.

Mr Janbaz said on a tip-off, a police official was sent to the photo state shop in the guise of an applicant which led to the unearthing of the scam and the arrest of the accused. He said the police were also searching for an accomplice of the accused who was believed to be from the traffic police office.

He said the accused had also printed bogus application forms and file covers similar to those used by the traffic police.

Published in Dawn September 12th, 2015

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