LUCKNOW, Feb. 1 -- A 10-year-old fraud came to light when a city resident tried to sell his vintage motorcycle and discovered its registration number was never recorded in official records, police said on Sunday.

Krishna Nagar inspector PK Singh confirmed a case was registered on Saturday. "The victim was allegedly cheated using forged government documents. We are probing the matter," he said.

Idris Siddiqui, a resident of Alambagh, purchased an Indian Chief vintage motorcycle from a Gurugram dealership in February 2015. He paid an additional Rs.4.5 lakh for a VIP registration number.

The issue emerged when a prospective buyer flagged the registration certificate as fake during RC transfer verification. Checks revealed the registration...