SUV driver had a button to hide number plate — then video went viral

One press of a button — and the SUV’s number plate disappeared.

An SUV owner in India has been caught with an unusual device that could conceal the vehicle’s registration plate at the push of a button.

The modification was exposed after a video showing a black shutter sliding over the plate while the Toyota Fortuner was travelling on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway went viral on social media.

Authorities traced the vehicle to its owner in Tathawade, Maharashtra’s Pune district, and found a wired mechanism attached to the registration plate.

But there was another surprise: the SUV had 55 pending traffic tickets totalling Rs 122,000 (about Dh5,000), most reportedly related to speeding.

The Pimpri-Chinchwad Regional Transport Office (RTO) has imposed a further Rs4,500 fine over the unauthorised modification.

How did the number plate disappear?

Regional Transport Officer Sandesh Chavan said officials inspected the SUV after the video circulated online.

Their inspection found a wire-concealing device installed near the registration plate.

A button inside the vehicle activated a black shutter that moved over the plate, hiding its registration number from view.

The mechanism raised concerns because road surveillance systems rely on visible registration plates to identify vehicles involved in traffic violations and other incidents.

Authorities have not established publicly whether the device had previously been used specifically to avoid traffic fines.

55 pending traffic tickets

A check of the SUV’s records found 55 unpaid e-challans worth Rs 122,000, according to the Hindustan Times, citing officials.

Most were for speeding.

The latest Rs 4,500 penalty relates to the unauthorised modification, not the outstanding fines.

Officials have warned the owner against making similar alterations and instructed him to clear the pending penalties.

The vehicle and its owner have also been summoned back to the RTO for a detailed inspection of the SUV and its documents.

“This is a serious case, and we want to set an example so that no one tries the same trick,” Chavan was quoted as saying.

The case may not end with the traffic fine.

Deputy Regional Transport Officer Ashwini Swami said the department has written to police asking them to investigate whether the vehicle may previously have been used in connection with any other offence.

Police have not said there is evidence that it was.

The viral video ultimately appears to have accomplished what the concealing device was meant to prevent: it helped authorities identify the SUV and investigate its owner.