Karnataka RTO Officials Seize Rs 5.5 Crore Bentley For Evading Rs 70 Lakh Road Tax
The Karnataka RTO (Road Transport Department) has once again seized a luxury car for evading taxes. This time around, a Rs 5.5 crore Bentley Flying Spur luxury sedan has been seized by the authorities. As per RTO officials, the owner of this vehicle allegedly underreported the ex-showroom price of the Flying Spur and managed to evade taxes totalling Rs 70 lakh, due to which his vehicle has now been seized.
The video showing the seizure of this particular Bentley Flying Spur has been shared on YouTube by TV9 Kannada on their channel. In this short video, we can note that a St. James' Red Bentley Flying Spur second-generation model with registration number “KA 70 M 9846” was parked in a closed parking lot.
It can be observed that the owner of the vehicle handed over documents of this car to the RTO officials, who then started checking them out. As per the reports, this particular seizure took place in Koramangala, Bangalore. The video does not show the vehicle being taken out of the parking lot, but it has been seized by the authorities.
According to Bengaluru RTO officials, this particular Bentley Flying Spur’s ex-showroom price is Rs 5.5 crore. However, during registration, the vehicle was declared at only Rs 2 crore, 43 lakh and 50 thousand. As a result of this undervaluation, the road tax was significantly reduced.
The officials added that there is an estimated discrepancy and tax evasion of around Rs 70 lakh. They also mentioned that the registration of this Bentley Flying Spur was completed using fake or manipulated documents. It has been reported that the registration took place around two years ago and it was caught during a recent verification drive.
Presently, the documents which were submitted before are now under scrutiny for false valuation, possible forged invoices, and mismatch between actual vehicle price and declared cost. As a result of these revelations, the Bentley Flying Spur was seized by the RTO department.
According to the reports, the owner of this particular Bentley Flying Spur strongly protested and created a ruckus at the spot. He accused the RTO officials themselves of fraud and wrongdoing. The owner stated that he had already paid the applicable road tax three years ago. During this protest, he even stated, “We are not fraudsters like Vijay Mallya.”
Following these statements, RTO officials rejected the claims made by the owner. They stated that the paperwork submitted at the time of the registration was questionable. Also, the valuation mismatch alone warranted the seizure of this vehicle. He added that a full investigation was necessary before any relief could be considered. It was highlighted that the seizure is currently temporary and the final outcome will be subject to investigation.
Back in November of last year, three out-of-state registered luxury cars were fined in Bengaluru, Karnataka. These included a Lamborghini Huracan LP640-4, a Bentley Continental GT, and a Porsche Cayenne. As per the RTO findings, the tax due on the Lamborghini was Rs 37 lakh, Rs 21 lakh on the Bentley, and Rs 6.5 lakh on the Porsche. The owners of these cars were then given some time to pay off the fines.