Bhopal traffic police are cracking down on motorists, particularly two-wheeler riders, who bend, cover or otherwise alter high-security registration plates to prevent Intelligent Traffic Management System cameras from reading their vehicle numbers and issuing e-challans.
Traffic officials said some riders bend the lower-right corner of a motorcycle’s rear plate by about 45 degrees, concealing one or two digits while making the damage appear accidental. Others use black adhesive tape, barcode stickers or carton-packing tape with printed text to cover parts of the registration number. Mud, black markers and plates bent halfway have also been used to make numbers difficult for ITMS cameras to distinguish.
The plate tampering comes as automated enforcement expands across the city. Traffic and city police issued 1,54,700 challans between January and August, involving penalties of around Rs 6.3 crore, according to traffic police data. About Rs 4 crore had been collected against 1,12,744 challans, while 41,956 challans involving Rs 2.3 crore remained pending.
ITMS enforcement generated more than 2.12 lakh e-challans between January and July, with around Rs 8.16 crore collected in fines. The figures cover different periods and enforcement channels, with police-issued challans reported up to August and ITMS figures available up to July.
A traffic police officer said the tactics were particularly associated with some two-wheeler riders who allegedly ride without helmets or jump red lights. More than 85% of police-issued challans were issued to two-wheeler riders for riding without helmets, officials said.
Additional DCP (Traffic) Basant Kaul said police were taking action against vehicles with tampered plates during roadside checks. Daily checking drives are being conducted at multiple locations across Bhopal, and officials have warned that obscuring or altering a registration plate can attract heavy penalties and strict action.
The enforcement issue highlights the overlap between automated traffic management and physical policing. A vehicle that avoids camera-based identification can still be stopped during roadside checks, while an unreadable or altered registration plate can make it harder to link a violation to the correct vehicle and owner.
Officials also warned that concealing or tampering with a registration plate could amount to fraud. Traffic police said attempts to evade ITMS cameras would not protect riders during physical checks, which are continuing at locations across the city.
