A fraudulent operation involving the creation of bogus permits for buses traveling to Bengal has been exposed in Jamshedpur. The scheme was revealed when a bus from Karwan Transport was apprehended by Purulia RTO officials during an inspection at the Bhuiyadih bus stand. The investigation determined the bus’s permit and tax documents were fake, prompting the police to seize the vehicle.
Following the incident, Rais Alam, the bus owner from Bandugoda, Kapali, investigated his other buses. The investigation found all their permits and tax documents to be forged. Praful Pandey of Mango was identified as the individual responsible. Alam stated that this fraudulent activity had been occurring for about five years. Praful had been securing tax tokens through his connections with the Bengal RTO.
When questioned, Praful initially denied any wrongdoing. However, after pressure, he facilitated the release of the impounded bus in Purulia by paying the fine. Alam later went to Kolkata to ascertain permit tax payments and discovered that numerous other vehicles operating around Jamshedpur also had fake permits. Fake challans and government seals were used for the transactions.
Rais notified several leading transport operators in Jamshedpur, whose permit-tax activities were overseen by Praful Pandey. Based on current findings, fraudulent permits had been generated for a dozen buses operating from the Bhuiyadih bus stand.
Rais Alam has filed a formal complaint at the Sitaramdera police station, seeking an investigation, recovery of the stolen funds, and the arrest of those implicated. The Sitaramdera police station has registered a case and assigned SI Suraj Prasad to lead the investigation. The station in-charge indicated that the accused is currently at large, and further details are anticipated following his capture.
In his complaint, Rais Alam also claimed that Praful Pandey filed a false case against his associates, including Imran Khan, bus agent Ramkumar, and W. Singh, after he repeatedly requested the return of his money. This forced Alam to obtain bail. The Sitaramdera police station has received comprehensive documentation of the fraud, including phone records and conversations stored on a pen drive.
Rais mentioned that Praful had strong ties with the Bengal RTO office. The same individual provided tax tokens for the vehicle with the forged permit. As per regulations, new taxes cannot be accepted until previous taxes are settled. He has filed an RTI, but the information has not been obtained yet.