The inquiry into the vehicle verification scam related to Regional Transport Office, Nagpur Rural, is still on. On Wednesday, the team of Mumbai Crime branch that is conducting investigation into the scam, arrested three officials of RTO from Amravati. Some officers at Nagpur RTO also are under scanner. A few more arrests are expected. According to highly placed sources, the real culprit, an agent, is still not under police scanner, as witnesses are facing police action. With the arrest of three officers of Amravati, some top officers of the department at Nagpur are said to be under scanner of crime branch. This issue has deep roots and several angles. It first came to the fore in 2000 when some vehicles came from Nagaland carried improper documents. According to one senior RTO official, Nagaland’s Transport Department has never installed the advanced software system because of which the vehicle passed by that state doesn’t show anything wrong in its document.

 

This has been going on since long. Because of arrest of the RTO officials, the police are allowing the agents who are main culprits to roam freely. The arrest of RTO officials is making it difficult even for the enforcement agencies to investigate the truth in the case. Confirming the arrest of three officers of his department at Amravati, RTO Rajabhau Gite who has additional charge of Nagpur, said, “The matter is being investigated by the Crime Branch and we are not aware of the case. But, this is a major blot on the Transport Department.” Maharashtra State Transport Department too has sent its team, which is operating jointly with the Mumbai Crime Branch. Transport Commissioner Sanjay Bhimanwar did not answer the call when ‘The Hitavada’ tried to contact him. Crime Branch officials too are tight-lipped about the investigation. The checking at Rural RTO is being done meticulously. Every single document is being checked.

 

Five Motor Vehicle Inspectors (IMV) are involved in it. Of those five officers, one got retired and rest four are transferred to various places. One of these IMVs has a partnership with a big transporter of the city. They all have cleared some vehicles of a Mumbai-based logistic company. These vehicles bear wrong chassis numbers, highly placed sources told ‘The Hitavada’. Unfortunately, over the years, the State Transport Department did not do the internal promotions nor it has increased the staff. This department is being ignored and left to its fate by every Government in the State. The agents have taken control of this office taking advantage of manpower shortage.