THRISSUR: The Thrissur Crime Branch on Thursday arrested three persons on charges of forging fake driving licences with hologram bearing government emblem. According to Crime Branch SP P N Unnirajan Shanker, the racketeers lured clients by promising to give them heavy vehicle driving licences for Rs 10,000-Rs 20,000 each.The arrested are Ali, 50, of Palakkad, Jose, 50, and Shaji, 47, both from Thrissur. They had also forged and supplied fake passports to clients in Thrissur, Malappuram, Palakkad and Kozhikode districts, the police said. According to the police, Ali, the kingpin, had set up a network for luring clients in various districts.Ali also made several contacts while working as an agent near the passport office in Malappuram, for securing drivers’ visas to Gulf countries. Earlier, two cases were registered against him at the Mannarkadu police station. The Nenmara police had registered a case against Shaji, the second accused. Jose, the third accused, was a bus driver and had worked in several districts. This helped him draw clients who wanted to get heavy motor driving licence.As the government had made it compulsory that a person has to pass class VIII for getting heavy licence, the gang mainly targeted people who had not completed primary education.The Crime Branch also seized about 25 licences from them, bearing the seal of the RTO offices in Thrissur, Irinjalakuda, Palakkad, Ottappalam, Mannarkad and Kozhikode.The police are yet to ascertain how the accused acquired the holograms.
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