Patna: A stolen SUV seized with liquor in 2020 was auctioned under a fake registration number, leaving its actual owner struggling for years to reclaim it. The EOU has arrested the then motor vehicle inspector (MVI) of Gopalganj, Sunil Kumar Singh, for allegedly failing to verify the vehicle before its auction.Singh, currently posted as MVI in Gaya, was arrested on Oct 13 and sent to jail after interrogation. He is the fourth accused arrested in the case.The fraud dates back to June 19, 2020, when Sidhwalia police in Gopalganj seized an SUV carrying around 340 litres of liquor. The vehicle bore registration number BR06PD9070, but its engine and chassis numbers belonged to another SUV, JH01CJ-7840, stolen from Ranchi resident Radheyshyam Singh, who had lodged a theft case in Rohtas district in Dec 2019.According to the EOU, Singh was part of the valuation process but submitted a report without physically inspecting the SUV. He mentioned its fake registration number but omitted the engine and chassis numbers, which could have exposed its identity.EOU DIG Manavjit Singh Dhillon said, “The EOU found that Sunil submitted the valuation report of the vehicle without doing any physical verification. In his report, he only mentioned the fake registration number BR06PD9070 and fixed its minimum auction price, but deliberately did not mention the engine and chassis number, which would have exposed that it was actually the stolen vehicle with Jharkhand registration.”The SUV was auctioned under the fake number, preventing its owner from identifying it through official records.The case surfaced after Radheyshyam filed a writ petition in Patna high court in 2025. Following a Nov 4, 2025, order, the EOU registered a cheating and forgery case on Nov 20 against the then excise superintendent, auction committee members, second bidder Riyazul Alam of Barauli, Gopalganj, and others.Earlier, the then Sidhwalia police station investigating officer Rajendra Ram was arrested on Oct 8, while district transport office clerk Kanhaiya Lal and data entry operator Haidar Ali Ansari were arrested on Sept 14. Dhillon said the investigation was continuing and the role of other officials was being examined.
