Eleven high-end luxury cars were seized by Road Transport Authority officials for alleged tax evasion in Hyderabad on Sunday, August 15. The owners of the luxury cars, who were out for a drive on Independence Day, were waylaid on the route to the Hyderabad airport. The crackdown was part of a plan by the Deputy Transport Commissioner K Papa Rao.
The Deputy Commissioner along with 40 RTA officials swung into action when they got to know about the movement of the vehicles. According to officials from the department, the officials had been monitoring the movement of the luxury vehicles for the last six months. The department was waiting for the right time to crack the whip. The luxury vehicles included Rolls Royce, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Lamborghini, Ferrari and Maserati. These vehicles which were bought and registered in other states were being used in Telangana without paying road tax. The seizure is expected to bring around Rs 3 to 8 crores to the RTA coffers.
In videos that later surfaced, the owners of the luxury vehicles could be seen trying to talk to the Deputy Transport Commissioner about the seizure of the vehicles. The Deputy Commissioner, who was present at the place where the vehicles were seized, seemed in no mood to listen to the owners. The vehicles were soon seized and taken away by the officials.
Deputy Transport Commissioner K Papa Rao urged people to pay road tax for vehicles brought in from other states and being driven in Telangana. He said under no circumstances vehicles that evaded road tax will be allowed to operate on the roads in the state. This seizure is being touted as one of the biggest crackdowns on luxury cars in the state.