CHENNAI: A single mobile number was used to secure a whopping 2,008 fancy vehicle registration numbers in Tamil Nadu, revealed the audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), raising concerns over possible bulk acquisition of premium numbers by individuals or entities, including through agents.
The finding is part of the CAG’s Report on State Revenues for the period ended March 2024, tabled in the Assembly on September 8. An analysis of VAHAN data for 2019-20 to 2023-24 found that 4.16 lakh unique mobile numbers were used for allotment of 6.75 lakh fancy numbers. Of these, 53,000 mobile numbers were used more than once to secure 3.12 lakh fancy numbers.
More significantly, in the registration of 3,355 vehicles, individual mobile numbers were used between 11 and 2,008 times each.
The CAG said the repeated use of the same mobile numbers indicated that some individuals or entities "may be acquiring fancy numbers in bulk, possibly for resale or speculation", undermining the allotment process.
Due to the lack of transparency, people have to visit regional transport offices (RTOs) to find out about available unallotted reserved numbers, increasing their dependence on agents or agencies for vehicle registration.
The government, in its reply in August 2025, said fancy number allotment on the VAHAN portal was based on Aadhaar authentication and that it has discontinued multiple allotments using a single mobile number.
The CAG also flagged significant disparities in the fees collected for fancy numbers and a potential revenue loss of Rs 133.15 crore.
An analysis of 62,606 vehicles registered with fancy numbers during 2019-20 to 2023-24 showed that 32,197 vehicles had paid fees below the minimum base amount of Rs 40,000 fixed by the government. In 7,105 cases, the fee or allotment amount was below the prescribed amount, resulting in a potential loss of Rs 133.15 crore.
The audit found that 15,526, or 25%, of the 62,606 vehicles were registered with delays ranging from 1 to 62 months after purchase. Of these, 9,102 vehicles had paid lower fees for the allotment of reserved fancy numbers.
The CAG said the VAHAN database had a loophole that enabled buyers to delay registration until the registration series reached a point where they could obtain their preferred fancy numbers by paying a lower fee, instead of the higher premium prescribed for advance or government-reserved numbers.
The audit also found wide variations in fees charged for the same fancy number at different RTOs on the same date. For instance, the number "0007" was allotted to 1,203 vehicles during the audit period, with fees ranging from Rs 2,000 to Rs 2 lakh. On February 6, 2023, it was allotted for Rs 2,000 at Thuraiyur UO, while a buyer at Chennai South RTO paid Rs 2 lakh.
The CAG also found that 43,799 of 77,028 unallotted reserved fancy numbers had neither been updated on the VAHAN portal nor displayed on notice boards at RTOs, raising concerns over transparency.
The government said the variation in fees between RTOs was due to differences in the closure of current registration series and denied any procedural lapse or revenue leakage. The CAG, however, said it had highlighted the inconsistency in the system and the need for corrective measures.
The government has since issued a draft amendment to the Tamil Nadu Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, proposing e-bidding and revision of fees for fancy numbers.
The CAG recommended that the transport department implement stringent measures to ensure timely vehicle registration and transparency in the allotment of fancy numbers.