41 Gujarat vehicles get fitness certificates in Karnataka without inspection; toll plaza data exposes fraud, RTO official suspended

• Karnataka RTO official suspended for issuing fitness certificates sans inspection
• 41 Gujarat-registered vehicles got certificates without entering Karnataka
• Departmental inquiry ordered; probe may extend to other RTOs

Did our AI summary help?

Karnataka transport department has suspended a senior official at Bengaluru’s Koramangala Regional Transport Office (RTO) after it emerged that fitness certificates (FCs) were issued to 41 heavy motor vehicles registered in Gujarat without any physical inspection.

While fitness certificates can legally be issued by RTOs anywhere in the country, sources told Moneycontrol that Nissar Ahmed, Senior Motor Vehicle Inspector at the RTO, Bengaluru (Central), Koramangala, approved the certificates without conducting mandatory physical inspections of the vehicles.

He was suspended through an order dated January 20, 2026, issued by transport commissioner Yogish AM, a copy of which was accessed by Moneycontrol.

How it unfolded

The action comes after a communication from Gujarat transport department, which flagged irregularities detected through its vehicle e-detection portal.

In a letter dated December 29, 2025, Gujarat authorities said an e-detection exercise showed that 41 vehicles were recorded as having been inspected at RTOs in Karnataka and issued fitness certificates. However, toll plaza data revealed that the same vehicles were passing through toll plazas in Gujarat on the very day the inspections were supposedly carried out, casting serious doubt on whether any physical inspection had taken place.

Gujarat-registered vehicles that received FCs from the Koramangala RTO between April and September 2025 were detected at toll plazas in Bharthana, Rohisa, Samakhiyali, Mokha, Nageshri, Bagodara, Vasad, Vadodara and Mandva in Gujarat-nearly 1,800-2,000 km from Bengaluru-on the same day.

Following the alert, the Karnataka transport commissioner directed joint transport commissioner, Bengaluru urban division, to verify the matter and submit a detailed report.

‘Major embarrassment’

Sources said the case exposes a racket that enables fitness certificates to be issued to vehicles registered in other states without the vehicles ever entering Karnataka, posing serious safety risks to passengers and other road users. A source alleged that some officials charge up to Rs 20,000 per vehicle to issue such certificates.

“It is an embarrassment for us that a letter from Gujarat Transport Department had to expose this fraud. There should be a thorough investigation into this scam,” the source said.

Transport Commissioner Yogish told Moneycontrol: “There is a notification that fitness certificates can be issued anywhere in the country, but physical inspection of the vehicle is mandatory. In this case, that was not done.”

Explaining why the officer’s lien was transferred to Nelamangala, he said: “During the suspension period, the officer is entitled to subsistence allowance-50 percent of salary-as per rules. Hence, the officer’s lien has been transferred.”

Asked whether the probe would be extended to other RTOs, he said: “We are looking into it.”

VAHAN data confirms irregularities

In a report dated January 20, 2026, joint transport commissioner said verification through VAHAN 4.0 system confirmed that the vehicles flagged by Gujarat authorities had their fitness certificates renewed under Form 38(A).

After examining the records, transport department concluded that the fitness certificates were approved without physical inspection, amounting to a violation of the Motor Vehicles Act and Rules, the order stated.

Departmental inquiry ordered

Citing the gravity of the allegations and the possibility of interference with the investigation, the transport commissioner ordered the suspension of the officer pending a departmental inquiry.

The order also noted that the officer’s lien has been transferred to the Nelamangala RTO and that he has been shifted to a vacant post of Senior Motor Vehicle Inspector.