Unregistered bikes : Traffic police seizes 500 motorbikes in Peshawar

Crackdown launched after reports of fake number plates being used.

PESHAWAR: In an effort to curb illegal motorbikes, the traffic police have seized 500 two-wheelers in the first two days of a week-long campaign.

The drive was initiated after reports emerged of motorcycles using fake number plates of police and other government departments, said SSP Traffic Muhammad Ali Zia. Thousands of motorbikes without any registration were also being used in the city.

On Thursday, the first day of the campaign, 325 bikes were seized of which 11 were found to have fake government number plates.

All unregistered motorbikes and those using unauthorised government number plates will be impounded and FIRs will be registered against their owners under section 523/556 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), Zia said.

“The decision of launching such a campaign was taken after receiving reports of militants and anti-social elements using such motorbikes openly,” he added.

“There are motorbikes whose engine numbers and framework have been changed, which indicates that they were stolen, so we are further checking all 500 bikes seized for any case of theft.”

Zia said that in order to avoid security checks, an increasing number of young people have started using unauthorised police number plates. If owners produce valid registration documents they can take their motorbikes back.  “Six-months ago a similar crackdown against auto-rickshaws was launched, so we hope that this attempt to curb the use of unregistered motorbikes is also successful,” said Zia.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 1^st, 2012.