In what seemed straight out of a James Bond movie, a drunk doctor intercepted by the Hyderabad police flipped his BMW’s number plate in seconds – resembling 007’s Aston Martin DB5’s revolving number plate.
The doctor, Gautham Reddy, driving the luxury vehicle, was stopped during a routine check on Saturday night in Hyderabad’s affluent Jubilee Hills. When the cops asked him to take the breath-analyser test, he quickly switched the car’s number plate with a remote control, allegedly to evade traffic enforcement, leaving officials stunned.
While one number plate was registered in Telangana ‘TS9FQ9999’, another bore a Delhi registration – ‘DL6CM7097’.
Reddy’s vehicle was equipped with a button-operated flip number plate system, allowing the driver to switch between two different registration plates within seconds to mislead surveillance cameras and avoid e-challans. This move was similar to James Bond’s Aston Martin car action – which has been featured in movies like Thunderball, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, Casino Royale, Skyfall, Spectre, and No Time To Die.
According to the police, the Telangana number plate was traced back to another vehicle linked to the accused, indicating a deliberate attempt to deceive enforcement systems.
“Avoiding fake number plates isn’t new, but this kind of advanced setup is rare. It appears to be a calculated attempt to dodge penalties and mislead digital surveillance,” said N Ravinder, inspector (traffic), Jubilee Hills Police Station.
Cops said that the modification was probably installed at a private car decor unit, and inquiries are ongoing to identify others involved in creating such illegal systems. The decor unit is also likely to face legal action, they said.
The doctor’s blood alcohol level was also significantly above the legal limits – 137 mg against the permissible 30 mg/100 ml, officials said.
Subsequently, he was booked under the section of cheating and impersonation, along with violating the Motor Vehicles Act for drunk driving.
The BMW has been seized for further examination, officials added.
and the vehicle has been seized for further forensic examination.