Insider information from the Department of Motor Transport has revealed an ongoing scandal involving the printing of driver’s licenses, where a group of brokers facilitates the process in exchange for bribes. Despite recent exposure of this illicit operation, it continues unabated, with significant sums of money changing hands.
The racket came to light after Lankasara made a revelation on 25th of November, prompting widespread media coverage and a formal complaint to the President’s Secretariat by the department’s investigation department. It was disclosed that certain department officials, acting on instructions from higher authorities, exploit the temporary suspension of printing licenses on cards with QR codes, opting instead for the issuance of temporary licenses and printed licenses only in essential cases.
Exploiting this situation, a network of brokers, including driving training institutes, orchestrates the sale of licenses for exorbitant fees ranging from 3000 to 5000 rupees under the guise of essential services. Of the 1000-1200 licenses printed daily, approximately 700 are produced through bribery, with only 300 foreign passports and visas processed.
Following the November expose, a department employee allegedly involved in the racket was transferred from window 16 to window 12, yet reports suggest her involvement persists. Brokers, driving school owners, and department insiders collaborate to compile lists of buyers and formalize cash transactions, funneling proceeds into a designated department room.
It is estimated that the racket yields a daily sum of at least 20 lakh rupees, fluctuating up to 35 lakh rupees, with one-third of the bribe money allocated to brokers and the remainder retained by complicit department officials.
