The city police are facing a daunting task due to increasing cases of vehicle number plate fraud, which misleads them during their investigation and complicates tracking criminals.

Police have highlighted incidents of vehicles with mismatched number plates, unclear or broken plates, and FASTag records linked to different vehicles than those recorded on their plates.

Criminals are using these discrepancies for unlawful activities. The vehicle used in the recent bank heist at Kotekaru Cooperative Bank also used a fake number plate to mislead the police.

The police suspect that some criminals link different vehicles to FASTag accounts to avoid higher toll fees or to evade identification during crimes.

During an investigation, it was revealed that several vehicles used FASTag registered under different vehicles. Sources said that if a single owner has a car, lorry, or other heavy vehicles, there is a possibility that the lorry or other vehicles will be given a FASTag of a car to pay a lower toll fee since the toll rate for heavy vehicles is higher than that of a car.

In several cases, vehicles appear identical but use fake number plates and FASTag from different vehicles. For instance, a car passing through a toll gate may have a FASTag registered to another car. Such fraudulent practices are often linked to criminal activities, prompting police to monitor FASTag accounts more closely.

During the investigation of a case, police uncovered shocking details at toll gates. Records indicated a car passing through, but the Fast-Tag was linked to a truck instead. This is not an isolated incident, as many vehicles are found using Fast-Tags registered under different vehicle numbers to evade tolls or mask their identity.

ACP Najma Farooqui of the Mangaluru Traffic Division stated that in 2023, 4,081 cases were registered, followed by 5,043 in 2024, and 225 so far in 2025, involving vehicles with either no number plates or faulty ones. Police are also focusing on potential Fast-Tag frauds linked to vehicles with fake number plates, enhancing scrutiny to curb these criminal practices.