The Road Transport Department (JPJ) has announced the seizure of a Toyota Fortuner, belonging to a popular motivational speaker with a strong social media following, for the use of mismatched number plates to evade traffic summonses.
The 50-year-old influencer has affixed his own genuine number plate (PRF) to the front of the vehicle, but had a different number plate (RF) on the rear, with a letter omitted to avoid Automated Awareness Safety System (AWAS) camera detection, New Strait Times reports.
Making the plan even more devious was that the rear number plate also belongs to another car of the same make and model, just in the different colour. The ploy has resulted in 42 AWAS summonses – totalling RM12,600 in fines – to be wrongly issued to the rightful owner of the RF registration plates.
Road Transport Department senior enforcement director Datuk Muhammad Kifli Ma Hassan said the case was brought to their attention after the owner of the rear number plate from Perlis was blacklisted for offences he did not commit, and proceeded to lodge a report to the department.
JPJ’s Highway Enforcement Unit managed to detain the motivational speaker along with his Toyota Fortuner on Saturday night, near the Behrang rest area along the North South Expressway. Upon questioning, the man admitted to deliberately tampering with the rear licence plate in order to avoid AWAS detection.
“As such, all the AWAS summonses will be transferred to his vehicle,” Muhammad Kifli said.
The case is currently investigated under Section 108(3)(f) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for the display of falsified licence plates, with the vehicles seized under Section 64(1) of the same act. If convicted, the offence carries a fine of between RM5,000 and RM20,000, or a jail term of one to five years, or both.
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