Delhi blast | Strict laws needed for pre-owned car market: Intelligence officials

Mumbai: India's used-car market, which is as big as new car sales in terms of numbers, needs to have a greater vigil and strict norms, Intelligence department officials said in the wake of Delhi’s car blast near the Red Fort.

The Hyundai i20 car — HR26 CE 7674 — was traced through a string of ownerships: from Mohammed Salman to Devender, then Aamir and subsequently Tariq, and finally to Dr Umar Mohammed.

“In fact, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi emerged as key drivers of the used-car boom, reflecting diverse regional demands. This calls for greater vigil and security measures. In the Delhi case, so far, the information available suggests that it is registered in the name of Salman, the first owner. This is actually a serious issue and an eye-opener,” an official of Maharashtra’s State Intelligence Department (SID) official told DH on Tuesday.

Citing the Red Fort case, he pointed out that the car manufactured in 2013, was registered in the name of Salman, a Gurugram resident, in 2014. Thereafter, it changed hands and came to be used in the crime.

“A pre-owned car, a pre-owned vehicle, or a second hand car, is a vehicle that has previously had one or more retail owners. Pre-owned cars are sold through a variety of outlets,” the official said, adding that several dealers have mushroomed in big cities across the country.

“The dealerships are part of a highly-organised sector. Registration is one of the major issues. Document forgery, difficulties verifying legal and accident history are difficult problems,” the official said and pointed out that in the Delhi blast case, the car which is more than a decade old still continued to be registered in the original owner’s name.

The official pointed out that the Centre and the state governments, security establishments and police need to revisit the laws and come out with new sets of regulations vis-a-vis the pre-owned car dealerships and registration.

“While cars and SUVs have been used in crime including terrorism, pre-owned cars without proper registration papers give the terrorists a greater level of anonymity,” the official said, pointing out that in a large number of cases, the second-hand cards are purchased directly in cash.