{
  "id": 10944264,
  "title": "Kollam Vigilance Court sentences RTO agent to six years in prison",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/kollam-vigilance-court-sentences-rto-agent-to-six-years-in-prison",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-30T13:01:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/kollam-vigilance-court-sentences-rto-agent-to-six-years-in-prison/article71528519.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Kollam Vigilance Court handed a six-year prison sentence to RTO agent Muhammed Shafeeq, convicted in a fraudulent driving license issuance case. The case involved the issuance of unauthorized licenses between August 11, 2008 and January 2, 2009, when then Pathanamthitta RTO Jojo James, Surendran (late), and Shafeeq conspired to deceive applicants. The agents promised licenses without driving tests, exploiting the system for personal gain through deception and forgery. The investigation, led by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, resulted in the criminal conspiracy charges against Shafeeq, along with cheating, forgery, and using forged documents. The judge convicted Shafeeq, who will serve the prison term concurrently with a fine of ₹1 lakh.",
  "summary": "The accused deceived applicants by promising them driving licenses without requiring them to attend driving tests, bypassing standard legal procedures",
  "key_points": [
    "RTO agent Muhammed Shafeeq sentenced to six years in prison",
    "Fraudulent driving licenses issued between August 2008 and January 2009",
    "Investigation led by Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}