KATHMANDU: Fourteen applicants—all vying to drive Armed Police Force (APF) office vans and cars—were found to be possessing fake driving licences.

They were caught in course of screening the applications they had filed at the APF office here. The latter had called the vacancy for drivers. The APF officials verified the authenticity of driving licences submitted by the applicants from the Office of Transport Management. Some of them were in possession of fake licence. While others borrowed from acquaintances.

All the 14 cheaters were handed over to the Metropolitan Police Range, Hanumandhoka for further investigation.

The cheaters, who applied for heavy vehicle drivers’ slot, and who were handed over to the MPR, included Jitendra Koju, Lok Bahadur Mahato, Surendra Shrestha, Tik Bahadur Tamang, Ram Bahadur Thapa, Gokul Prasad Phuyal and Khadka Bahadur Shah. While those applicants who submitted forged licences for light vehicle drivers’ positions are: Sagun Sarki, Narayan Shrestha, Sushilraj Bajracharya, Prakash Bahadur Kari, Sanjeet Kumar Gurung, Chandra Bahadur Basnet and Ramdaresh Giri.

The authorities are interrogating the accused so as to extract further details behind their bid to elude the police. The accused stand trial under the Government Seal and Forgery Signature Act.