Fake Biometrics Vehicle Transfers Probed in Punjab
Punjab has ordered an inquiry into fake biometrics vehicle transfers after auditors found more than 4,000 vehicles changed hands through fake biometric verification, the provincial Excise Department said.
The Punjab Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control Department has ordered an inquiry against 11 serving officers and officials over the alleged transfers, according to a report in The News, carried by ProPakistani on Wednesday.
The case involves suspected financial irregularities, procedural violations and forged powers of attorney in vehicle ownership transfers. The claims came out of an audit inspection covering two periods in 2024, from January 1 to March 7 and from March 8 to August 20.
Fake biometrics vehicle transfers: what the audit found
The inquiry order was issued by Secretary Excise Masood Mukhtar. Director Muhammad Asif, a grade 19 officer, will lead the investigation under the Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability (PEEDA) Act, 2006.
Excise and Taxation Inspector Ghulam Mohyuddin of Region-C, Lahore, will serve as the departmental representative and provide the official records. The inquiry officer must report with recommendations within 60 days.
The inquiry will examine claims that several Motor Registering Authorities and Excise and Taxation Inspectors processed hundreds of ownership transfers without sending them to the Divisional Committee, as required under procedures issued on March 7, 2024. Cases involving alternative dispute resolution and designated ownership transfers needed the committee’s scrutiny and approval.
The audit also found cases in which officials allegedly processed transfers using forged powers of attorney, purportedly issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A power of attorney is a legal document that lets one person act for another, and a forged one can be used to move a vehicle out of its real owner’s name.
Why this matters for vehicle owners in Punjab
Biometric verification is meant to be the safeguard in Punjab’s vehicle transfer system. The buyer and seller must prove their identity by fingerprint, so a car cannot change hands without the real owner. If that check can be faked, the whole chain of ownership breaks down, and buyers can end up with cars that carry hidden claims.
The inquiry lands while Punjab is already tightening its grip on vehicle records. The province is chasing around 450,000 vehicles whose owners have not paid token tax, and Lahore has doubled fines for e-challan defaulters. Clean ownership records sit at the centre of both drives, since tax and fines follow the registered owner.
Misuse of identity documents carries real penalties in Pakistan. NADRA has warned that misusing another person’s name can bring jail and a fine, and Punjab has made biometric verification mandatory for birth, death and marriage certificates. The vehicle transfer case shows the same identity checks being tested inside the Excise Department itself.
What happens next
The inquiry officer has 60 days to report. The report will say whether the 11 officers and officials named in the audit should face penalties under the PEEDA Act, which can lead to dismissal from service for proven misconduct.
The Excise Department has not said whether any of the 4,000-plus transfers will be reversed. That will turn on what the inquiry finds, since each transfer would need checking on its own facts. Owners who bought vehicles in Punjab during 2024 may want to check their transfer papers and biometric record, since a disputed transfer can surface later at sale or token tax payment.
The department has also moved to secure its own records. Pakistan is rolling out e-passports with security chips produced locally, a sign of how far biometric identity has spread across government services. The test now is whether the Excise Department can make its own biometric checks as hard to fake as the ones it asks citizens to pass.
Frequently asked questions
How many vehicles were transferred through fake biometrics?
More than 4,000 vehicles, according to the audit inspection. The audit covered two periods in 2024, from January 1 to March 7 and from March 8 to August 20.
Who is being investigated?
Eleven serving officers and officials of the Punjab Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control Department face inquiry. Director Muhammad Asif will lead the investigation under the PEEDA Act, 2006.
How long will the inquiry take?
The inquiry officer must complete the proceedings and submit a detailed report with recommendations within 60 days.
What rules were allegedly broken?
Officials allegedly processed hundreds of transfers without referring them to the Divisional Committee, as required by procedures issued on March 7, 2024. The audit also found transfers made with forged powers of attorney.
