KARACHI: In a strange turn of events, a motorcycle stolen four years ago in Karachi has been issued an E-Challan for a traffic violation, exposing glaring flaws in the city’s electronic monitoring and challan system.
The owner revealed that his motorcycle was stolen in 2020 from the Tariq Road area near Tipu Sultan, and a complaint was registered at the Tipu Sultan Police Station. Despite the police report, the bike was never recovered, and no progress was made in the case. However, on October 27, the owner was shocked to receive an E-Challan worth Rs5,000 for “riding without a helmet” — on the same stolen motorcycle.
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Expressing frustration, the citizen said that the issuance of a challan for a vehicle listed as stolen in police records highlights a serious lack of coordination between Karachi Police and the traffic authorities. “It’s absurd that a stolen vehicle is still active on city roads and being fined as if I’m using it,” he remarked.
This incident follows another major discrepancy in the city’s E-Challan system, where a citizen from Scheme 33 received a Rs2,500 fine for a helmet violation at Teen Talwar, Clifton, despite claiming he was at home at the time. The e-challan image reportedly displayed one number plate, while the alphanumeric registration mentioned was entirely different — an error that also added six demerit points to his record.
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The repeated system errors have raised serious concerns among Karachi residents over the credibility and accuracy of the city’s automated traffic monitoring system, with citizens urging authorities to address these flaws and improve coordination between departments.