One of the ‘cloned’ vehicles seized by JPJ.
SIBU: The Road Transport Department (JPJ) here has seized three ‘cloned’ vehicles through daily and special operations conducted throughout the town so far.
A ‘cloned’ car usually refers to an incident when two identical car models are found using the same registration number, but only one will be valid, as it possesses the vehicle’s chassis number and road tax that matches the official records kept on file by JPJ.
JPJ local office chief Mohd Faizal David Jemat said the affected vehicles seized were a Nissan Fairlady, a Toyota Camry, and the latest model Toyota Alphard, which were all confiscated earlier this month.
According to Mohd Faizal, a check with JPJ’s records found that these vehicles mostly used other vehicle registration plate numbers, such as Peninsular Malaysia registration numbers that have never been registered.
“We have conducted investigations on the vehicle owners and they admitted to purchasing these vehicles at a price far lower than their market value,” he said in a statement today.
He said the owner in the case involving the Nissan Fairlady has been charged in court and fined, while the other two owners will be brought to court after further investigation has been completed and after obtaining permission from the Deputy Public Prosecutor.
He added that all these cases will be charged under Section 7 and Section 108 of the Road Transport Act 1987.
For an offence under Section 7 of the Road Transport Act 1987, those convicted are liable to a fine of up to RM10,000 while Section 108 of the same Act carries a fine of up to RM20,000 and JPJ will apply to court for the vehicles to be stripped of their rights.
“We will continue to strive to detect ‘cloned’ vehicles in town and those who have any information can contact JPJ Sibu so that further action can be taken,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, the total cases involving registration plates which do not conform with JPJ specifications, which can be compounded up to RM300 total 322 cases so far, while offences involving dark tinted windows exceeding regulation total 120 cases.