The police and Motor Vehicles department (MVD) enforcement squads have launched a comprehensive investigation into a series of fuel thefts reported from different parts of the State, in which vehicles with forged or duplicate number plates were allegedly used.

Most recent incidents, including one reported by a petrol pump owner at Edavannappara in Malappuram district last week, are backed by CCTV footage and point to a pattern in which suspects use duplicate registration numbers to conceal their identities.

According to fuel station operators, several such incidentcame to light when original vehicle owners were contacted during attempts to trace suspects who fled without paying after refuelling. The owners later approached the police and MVD squads after realising that their registration numbers had been misused.