Mysore/Mysuru: In a Statewide crackdown on vehicles with defective number plates, the Police Department has registered 19,448 cases from Aug. 1 to Aug. 22.

Bengaluru leads with 9,684 cases, followed by Mysuru city with 634 cases. Kodagu has the fewest cases, totalling 21, while Ramanagara and Mandya have lower numbers as well, with 35 and 47 cases, respectively.

“Another menace — defective/ without number plates, used to dodge law enforcement authorities in traffic violations and road accident cases and even for committing the crime. In the past 22 days, more than 19,000 cases booked. Defiance of law and manipulation must be dealt with firmly,” posted Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Traffic & Road Safety, Alok Kumar, releasing the case list.

According to the law, it is illegal to drive a vehicle with a number plate that is not visible or defective. This includes number plates that are broken, cracked, faded or tampered with. Police cameras are designed to flag vehicles with such defective plates and the Police may stop these vehicles indefinitely.

A defective number plate can complicate the identification of the vehicle’s owner in the event of an offence, as the registration number may be illegible or missing entirely.

If a vehicle’s high-security number plate is damaged or stolen, the owner should promptly report the incident to the local transport authority. The authority will guide how to replace the plate and ensure the vehicle’s security.

Traffic Police officers have stated that they will continue to penalise motorists who deliberately obscure or tamper with their number plates to mislead enforcement cameras.

“We have now installed AI-based enforcement cameras throughout Mysuru. Despite the extensive surveillance, some motorists are using fake number plates to evade detection. To address this issue, we are intensifying our crackdown on vehicles with obscured registration plates,” a Police officer said.