Delhi: ‘Fake’ MP sticker, flag on SUV provokes search; vehicles seized in Lado Sarai

A black SUV fitted with an allegedly fake MP sticker and flag triggered a security alert in Delhi, prompting a multi-agency search before the vehicle was traced and seized from south Delhi’s Lado Sarai area, police sources said on Tuesday.

The matter assumed significance as it was flagged to the Parliament House Control Room, following which an alert was circulated across Delhi Police district control rooms, the Crime Branch and other security agencies.

According to police sources, the incident dates back to June 21, when the black Scorpio was spotted at around 5.20 pm at Mannat Haveli restaurant in Murthal, Haryana. The vehicle bore a ‘Parliament of India’ parking sticker and an MP’s flag, raising suspicion in a person present at the spot, who informed the Parliament House Control Room.

Officials checked the records and found that no authorised Parliament parking sticker had been issued against the registration number of the vehicle. Following this, an alert regarding the suspicious SUV was issued at around 8.45 pm, and teams were directed to trace it.

Using the vehicle’s registration details, police reached a residence in Lado Sarai linked to Pramod Chaudhary, where the SUV was found parked outside. The same ‘Parliament of India’ parking label and MP flag were affixed to the vehicle, police said.

During questioning, Chaudhary told police that the SUV was being used by his son, Dev Chaudhary. However, neither the family nor the vehicle user could furnish any documents proving a connection with any MP or authorisation for using the sticker and flag.

Police suspect that the fake insignia was being used to exert influence and avoid scrutiny.

Police have seized the vehicle and registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Investigators are now trying to ascertain the source of the fake Parliament sticker and flag, and whether they were used in any other instance of impersonation or misuse of privileges, officials added.