100-plus luxury cars in Hyderabad under Transport department radar

The owners of these cars may not enjoy this luxury much longer since the department is ready to pull them in

Hyderabad: Remember the seizure of 11 flashy luxury cars by the Transport department last week for plying on the city roads without paying local taxes? Well, word is that there are at least 100 more such cars ranging from Mercedes-Benz, Maserati, Ferrari, Rolls Royce, BMW and Lamborghini that are having a free run in the city. The owners of these cars may not enjoy this luxury much longer since the department is ready to pull them in.

The detection of this ‘free run’ has been largely facilitated by the presence of closed circuit television cameras (CCTVs) installed in every nook and corner of the city that has not only helped police detect crime but are also the Transport department in tracking and seizing high-end luxury sports cars for tax evasion. “We worked for over six months to identify the cars, tracking their movements and locations before cracking the whip on them”, a senior official told Telangana Today.

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Following a tip-off that several luxury cars were plying in the city without paying valid taxes, the Transport department was in a spot on how to identify these vehicles. Officials then knocked on the doors of the police department, which helped the Transport department in identifying these cars.

Though it was a painstaking task, a dedicated team from the Transport department collected footage from CCTVs installed in the city and started analysing it. Special teams comprising 40 Assistant Motor Vehicle Inspectors and Motor Vehicle Inspectors were formed under the supervision of Deputy Transport Commissioner K Papa Rao to seize the luxury cars for not paying life and road taxes.

Most cars that were seized last week had registration numbers issued in Puducherry and Maharashtra where registration charges are low compared to other States in the country. The department would now be able to collect revenue of over Rs.150 crore in taxes from the owners of luxury cars, the officials said. They advised the car owners to pay the taxes failing which they will have to cough up much more than the applicable taxes.

Sources said the Transport department was also considering sharing information with the Hyderabad police and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) to find out violations, if any, in importing the luxury cars. They said as many as 1,023 luxury cars each worth more than Rs.1 crore are plying in the State after paying taxes. Of them, 959 cars are in Hyderabad alone.

An Insight:

• 11 high-end luxury cars were seized so far
• Close to 100 such vehicles are plying in the State
• Most cars were registered in Puducherry and Maharashtra
• Rs.150 crore revenue can be netted from these cars
• 1,023 luxury cars are plying in the State after paying taxes
• Of them, 959 cars are in twin cities alone

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