Mumbai, Mar 12 (PTI) Two officers from the Mumbai West Regional Transport Office (RTO) have been suspended in connection with a fake driving licence scam wherein questionable driving tests were conducted on invalid vehicles in 2023-24, an official said on Wednesday.
The suspended officials, Assistant RTO Raosaheb Ragde and Motor Vehicle Inspector Umesh Devre, were placed under suspension following a probe conducted by the Transport Commissioner’s office.
As per the suspension order dated March 10, the Maharashtra Accountant General (Audit), Nagpur, had flagged irregularities in the issuance of driving licenses at the Mumbai West RTO office, during the financial year 2023-24.
The audit report raised concerns about licenses issued based on fake driving tests, prompting an internal inquiry. Following the investigation led by the Andheri RTO, the inquiry committee confirmed procedural lapses in the issuance of driving licenses, officials said.
During their suspension period, Ragade will be stationed at the RTO Mumbai (East), while Devre will report to the RTO Mumbai (Central) as their headquarters.
The investigation revealed procedural lapses, with the RTO reportedly using a single vehicle for conducting driving tests for multiple applicants, irrespective of the class of licence.
The scam was exposed during a routine check of 1.04 lakh driving licences using the online ‘Sarathi’ database. The audit revealed that nearly 75 per cent of these licences—76,354 in total—were issued in 2023-24 following questionable driving tests conducted on invalid vehicles. PTI KK NSK
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