TN Police crack down on vehicles with fake stickers of press, advocates

Chennai, Oct 21 (IANS) The Chennai Police are continuing to crack down on vehicles, including high-end cars that are bearing fake stickers of press, lawyers, and human rights bodies. In certain cases, the stickers of doctors were also falsely used.

A senior police officer on condition of anonymity told IANS, "In most of the cases middle-level politicians and businessmen are using these fake stickers. Most of them when interrogated said that they were using these stickers to get preferences at parking slots as well as to get away from police checks."

The Chennai city police had received several complaints of contraband objects being smuggled in cars that have fake stickers of press and that of lawyers. Police while arresting a few people, who were smuggling liquor, were found to be using fake press stickers on the vehicles.

Police have also apprehended some vehicles which were having stickers of various human rights organisations and when verified found that the person did not have any contact with the organisations. When questioned, the people in the car, according to the Chennai city police, revealed that they wanted to just 'show-off' in the society and to flout their 'power'.

Press bodies, including newspaper and TV organisations and several press clubs and press forums across Tamil Nadu had complained to the police that press stickers were being faked and used in cars of people with tainted backgrounds.

Bar associations and even the Bar council also complained to the police that several people were using fake stickers of advocates to get away from the police.

The Central intelligence agencies have also reported that several people were using fake stickers and terror outfits might misuse the stickers of press and advocates as camouflage.

On Wednesday, the Chennai Police had fined 1,892 vehicles for the misuse of stickers, and also impounded two cars that had stickers of human rights organisations.

A statement from the police said that a car bearing the registration number AP 03 CL 0365 was having a sticker of Social Justice for World Human Rights Council, district chairman, Chittoor district. When the police apprehended the vehicle and questioned its owner, Suresh, he said that he had no connection with such an organisation. The vehicle was seized and a case registered, police said.