Beed RTO busts inter-state ATS fitness scam, probes breach of govt login data; six booked in ‘first-of-its-kind’ case

CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR: In what transport authorities have termed the first such case registered anywhere in India, the Beed sub-regional transport office (RTO) has unearthed an inter-state racket involving Automated Testing Stations (ATS) allegedly issuing vehicle fitness certificates without conducting mandatory physical inspections, while also misusing sensitive government login credentials on the Vehicle 4.0 system. Six suspects, including individuals based in Raipur, Vadodara, Indore and Beed, have been booked by Beed Rural police.

The FIR has been lodged by motor vehicle inspector Ganesh Vighne, who not only initiated the complaint but also acted as a dummy client and intermediary to expose the modus operandi of the alleged scam. Officials said Vighne personally coordinated controlled transactions, posed as an agent, and facilitated the use of dummy vehicles to gather documentary, digital and location-based evidence.

“This entire operation was carried out to verify whether fitness certificates were being issued without inspection. I acted as a dummy customer and even as an agent to understand how deep and organised this racket was,” Vighne told TOI. “What we found was shocking — vehicles that never left Beed were shown in government records as having undergone a full automated inspection in another state.”

According to the FIR, multiple vehicles with expired fitness certificates were deliberately used as dummy cases. In each instance, private intermediaries allegedly assured that fitness renewals would be issued without bringing the vehicles to ATS centres. The certificates were later generated through an ATS located in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, with official records falsely showing that the vehicles had entered testing lanes, undergone detailed mechanical, emission and safety checks, and exited after completion.

However, toll records, fuel receipts, service-centre gate passes and Vehicle Location Tracking Device (VLTD) data conclusively established that the vehicles were physically present in Beed during the same period. Despite this, detailed test reports under Forms 38 and 69 were uploaded on the government portal, indicating impersonation of vehicles and fabrication of inspection data.

Even more serious, investigators found evidence of manipulation of official credentials. In one case, a fitness certificate valid for over seven years was issued — far beyond what is permitted under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules — and was shown as approved in the name of an RTO officer who had not been posted at that office for years and whose login ID was no longer active.

“This raises extremely sensitive questions,” Vighne said. “If login credentials of government officers can be misused or accessed after transfers and deactivation, where is that data coming from? Is it being leaked or sold in the grey market?”

The FIR alleges collusion between private intermediaries, the ATS operator and unidentified persons linked to the National Informatics Centre, which manages the Vehicle 4.0 platform. Police are now probing whether unauthorised access to government systems was facilitated internally or through external compromise.

For now, six accused have been booked, including one suspect each from Raipur (Chhattisgarh), Vadodara (Gujarat), Indore (Madhya Pradesh) and Beed, along with ATS-related personnel and unknown technical facilitators.

Beed superintendent of police Navneet Kanwat said, "Based on the complaint, we have registered an FIR and invoked sections 3(5), 318(4), 336(2), 340(1) and 340(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita; sections 43, 43(b), 66, 66(c) and 72(a) of the Information Technology Act; Section 62 of the Motor Vehicles Act; Rule 56 of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules; and Rule 45 of the Maharashtra Motor Vehicle Rules."

Echoing RTO authorities, Kanwat said, "Breach of sensitive login credentials of government officials by private persons for carrying out such forged acts, is extremely series and will take all out efforts to unearth the entire scam."

RTO officials said the case has nationwide implications, as fraudulent fitness certification directly undermines road safety. Further investigation is underway to determine whether similar certificates were issued across other states using the same method.