In an incident that appeared straight out of a James Bond film series, a drunk doctor in Hyderabad shocked police by flipping his BMW’s number plate within seconds, much like the iconic gadget seen in Goldfinger. The accused, identified as Gautham Reddy, was intercepted during a routine vehicle check on the night of April 11 in the upscale locality of Jubilee Hills. When officers asked him to undergo a breathalyser test, he allegedly used a remote-control device to instantly change the vehicle’s registration plate, leaving traffic officials astonished and raising serious concerns about the misuse of advanced modifications to evade law enforcement systems.
Investigations revealed that the luxury car was fitted with a button-operated mechanism that allowed the driver to switch between two different number plates in seconds. One registration displayed a Telangana number, ‘TS9FQ9999’, while the other showed a Delhi number, ‘DL6CM7097’. The technology was reportedly used to mislead surveillance cameras and avoid e-challans. Police officials noted that the setup resembled gadgets seen in spy films, making it a rare and deliberate attempt to bypass traffic monitoring systems. Authorities further discovered that the Telangana number plate was linked to another vehicle associated with the accused, indicating a planned effort to deceive enforcement agencies.
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According to officials from the Jubilee Hills traffic division, such sophisticated manipulation is uncommon and suggests a calculated move to dodge penalties. Inspector N Ravinder stated that while fake number plates are not new, the use of an advanced flipping system is unusual. Police suspect the modification was installed at a private car decor facility, and efforts are underway to identify those involved in creating the illegal setup. The decor unit may also face legal consequences for enabling such alterations, as authorities continue their probe into the network behind these unlawful modifications.
Further action was taken after it was found that Reddy’s blood alcohol level was significantly above the legal limit, recorded at 137 mg against the permissible 30 mg per 100 ml. Following this, he was booked under charges of cheating and impersonation, along with violations of the Motor Vehicles Act for drunk driving. The BMW has been seized for detailed examination, and officials are continuing their investigation to uncover the full extent of the offence and any additional parties involved in facilitating the illegal modifications.