ISLAMABAD: Scores of vehicles stolen from Rawalpindi and its adjoining areas were brought for registration in the Excise and Taxation Office (ETO) Islamabad by the car lifters.

The practice was unearthed by officials of the ETO when such vehicles were brought there for either registration or transfer.

Director Excise and Taxation Bilal Azam told Dawn that during the last three to four months 30 vehicles stolen from Rawalpindi were impounded by the ETO when they were brought to the office for either registration or transfer. Majority of the cars were 2019 and 2020 models, he added.

All the vehicles were later given to the Rawalpindi police for handing over to their actual owners, he added.

Mr Azam said earlier he was informed that stolen vehicles from other parts of the county were being brought to ETO Islamabad for either registration or transfer. In response, he arranged training of his staff from the Islamabad Forensic Laboratory to identify vehicles with tampered engine and chassis numbers.

Besides, physical inspection of the vehicles was also made mandatory before registration or transfer. As a result, the ETO staff identified 30 tampered with vehicles and impounded them.

He said the auto-thieves tampered with the engine and chassis numbers of vehicles and brought them to the ETO for registration.

The trained staff on suspicion impounded such vehicles and later sent them for forensic examination.

All vehicles sent for examination by the ETO staff on suspicion were found stolen, he said.

Besides, the thieves also brought many vehicles for transfer, the director said, adding they made either bogus documents or used documents of other vehicles and replaced the vehicle engine and chassis numbers with the same mentioned on the document to get them transferred.

But during the physical examination such stolen vehicles were also impounded because of the tampered engine and chassis numbers, he added.

Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2020