Kolkata Police bust fake number plate racket, 8 held

Kolkata: The Kolkata Police has busted a racket involved in manufacturing fake vehicle registration plates and arrested eight persons. Police also seized a number plate-making machine and several forged registration plates.

According to police, the operation began after Sergeant Sovik Biswas of Kasba Traffic Guard intercepted a scooter near a private English medium school in the Ruby Park area. The scooter bore registration number WB 05C 1317, which was later found to be fake.

Police said a man named Ranjan Dutta had earlier lodged a complaint on October 10, alleging that he was receiving prosecution messages for traffic violations at places he had never visited. He suspected that someone was using a fake number plate bearing his scooter’s registration number.

Following the discovery, the scooter rider, Mangal Naskar, was detained and taken to Kasba police station. During questioning, Naskar revealed that he had bought the scooter from Parmendra Prasad Kesri in August 2025. When the vehicle developed problems soon after purchase, Kesri allegedly provided him with another scooter fitted with a fake number plate for temporary use.

After Kesri’s arrest, police learned about Bikram Shaw, who allegedly supplied forged number plates. Shaw was picked up from his shop in the Tiljala area, where several fake plates were seized.

Subsequent interrogation led police to a workshop on McLeod Street, where they found a number plate-making machine and numerous fake registration plates of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and other states. Five more people were arrested from the site.Police said all eight accused are being interrogated to trace the full extent of the racket and identify others involved.