Karachi's newly introduced automated traffic enforcement system — the Traffic Regulation and Citation System (TRACS) — has stirred controversy after a five-star hotel was issued a Rs 10,000 e-challan for a vehicle stolen nearly 28 years ago.
The flaw surfaced when a traffic violation was recorded against a car registered in Quetta that happened to share the same registration number as the long-stolen vehicle.
The hotel management said their car was stolen from the parking area near Sharea Faisal way back in May 1997, and the theft was duly registered at the Saddar Police Station.
Despite the vehicle never being recovered, an e-challan for a seatbelt violation recorded at the Hub Toll Plaza was recently issued to the hotel.
Traffic Police confirmed that the vehicle that incurred the penalty is registered in Quetta. According to police, Balochistan's vehicle registration data is not fully online, which is creating an operational "headache" for the department.
The Traffic Regulation and Citation System (TRACS) was launched on October 27, aimed at replacing the outdated manual ticketing process with a fully automated e-ticketing mechanism, utilising advanced AI-integrated CCTV cameras to detect violations such as over-speeding, red light jumping, and helmet non-compliance.
But since its inauguration, the news system has sparked debate, with critics pointing to the lack of adequate facilities and infrastructure in Karachi to support its implementation.
Expressing surprise over the development, the hotel management maintained that they are willing to pay the fine but only if the authorities recover and return the stolen vehicle.
In a similar incident last month, a bike owner had received an e-challan for his stolen bike, which remains unrecovered four years after it went missing. The owner claimed his vehicle was stolen from the Tipu Sultan police premises. Ironically, he received an e-ticket worth Rs5,000 on October 27 for not wearing a helmet, despite having filed a theft complaint.
Another affected citizen had toldGeo Newsthat he received an e-challan despite never committing any traffic violation. “The number plate shown in the photo is different from the one written in text on the same challan,” he said, calling it a glaring error.