A Laudium resident who fell victim to a crime involving cloned number plates got a huge shock after discovering that the perpetrator in possession of the same license plate amassed exorbitant traffic fines on his name.
According to police, by definition, a cloned number plate is when criminals get a number plate issued using the same type, model and colour car that the true owner has, while a fake number plate is simply a copy of the original owner's number plate but does not necessarily make use of the same kind of car.
Speaking to the Laudium Sun, 13th Avenue resident, Vishal Nagiah (29) said that he had been stopped at a major roadblock in the Fourways area last Wednesday (Feb. 7), only to discover that there were at least 15 fines registered to his vehicle, that he had no knowledge of.
"I just stood there shocked while the JMPD officer read off my apparent ‘grocery list’ of fines which totaled over R12000. I have gotten fines in the past, but I have always dutifully paid them. After a long and tiring explanation to the officers at the roadblock, they finally put me in touch with an official who they said would be able to assist me. I learnt that most of the fines were issued in the Polokwane area.
I have never been there and that's when I realised that something fishy was going on. I was then told by an official that it was possible that my number plate was cloned. So, criminals could be doing anything with the cloned plates and I have to face the music," Vishal exclaimed.
"I have reported the incident to the cops and I can only hope that the perpetrators will be caught and dealt with and the current mess that I'm in will be sorted out," Vishal added.
According to an official at the Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department (TMPD), there is a process that a victim of this type of crime must follow: "Report the crime at your local police station (SAPS) to open a case; Take the statement to an TMPD office who will give you a form, then back to the SAPS; Then you need to go to another SAPS vehicle department in Pretoria (as directed by police); In case of a cloned number plate, the victim must then de-register the vehicle (number plate) and go through the entire process of re-registering the vehicle to be issued with a different number plate," the source said.
Cloned plate victim, Vishal Nagiah of 13th Ave.