Kamal Ghorui
HYDERABAD: A routine drunk driving check recently gave cops a James Bond surprise after they caught a doctor in a BMW in Jubilee Hills. The car had two different number plates – DL (Delhi) and TS (Telangana) – and a switch to flip. Cops suspect the doctor was trying to evade road tax as he had bought the vehicle from Delhi. The Telangana number belonged to another BMW at his home.The flip switch came to light accidentally after cops had driven the BMW to the police station when the driver, Dr Gautham Reddy, refused to provide details.“A constable who was trying to unlock the boot accidentally pressed a button near the driver’s seat and a Delhi registration number dropped down to mask the Telangana number,” said N Ravinder, inspector (traffic), Jubilee Hills. “We realised it was a deliberate act of manipulation and raised the matter with the law and order police, who in turn booked a case.”Dr Reddy has been booked for cheating and impersonation, along with violating the Motor Vehicles Act for drunk driving. His blood alcohol content (BAC) was 137 mg against the permissible 30 mg/100 ml.This incident took place near the Chiranjeevi Blood Bank in Jubilee Hills on the night of April 10.“He was routinely stopped and when he tested positive for high alcohol content, we booked him only for driving under the influence. But the driver refused to share details, so we seized the vehicle and asked him to report to the police station the next day,” said a cop.Later, when cops visited the his house in Gandhi Nagar, they found another BMW sporting the same Telangana registration number used as a ‘cover’ in the doctor’s car.“The Telangana number plate belongs to one of his family members,” said U Srinivasulu Reddy, inspector (law and order), Jubilee Hills.Police said the doctor had found out about flipping number plates on social media and ordered it online. He had it fitted to the BMW by a car decor shop in Madhapur.While the doctor has brushed off the fixture as a “casual” modification done “for fun”, cops suspect he did so to evade road tax after transferring the car from Delhi to Telangana.“We are still probing the matter. So far, we have found no cases or challans pending against the seized vehicle,” Srinivasulu Reddy said.
