The company director did not know whether to be relieved or worried.

He had received an e-mail from an insurance company about an accident he had apparently been involved in on 16 Dec.

But when Mr Osman Hamzah looked at the enclosed photograph, he realised that it was of not the Hyundai Getz that he owned.

Instead, staring back at him was a Chery car with the same licence plate as his car - SGB 779T, reported Berita Harian.

He later received two parking tickets which he said must have been for the Chery.

On 16 Dec, Mr Osman, a director of Casvelli Pte Ltd, was indeed involved in an accident.

But that minor accident involved the Mercedes Benz Mr Osman was travelling in and a taxi, along the Bukit Timah Expressway.

Mr Shaukath Ali, another director at Casvelli and also owner of shipping company Baltic Shipping, was driving the Mercedes at the time.

But the accident referred to in the e-mail involved two cars along Upper Serangoon Road.

Mr Osman told Berita Harian that both the Mercedes and the Hyundai were bought by Mr Shaukath and registered under Casvelli for business use.

Mr Osman immediately contacted the police, the Land Transport Authority and the Independent Damage Assesment Centre (Idac).

Then came the parking tickets, both for violations on 8 Jan, one at Hougang Ave 5 and the other at Hougang Ave 7. Mr Osman insisted that his car was not involved in the parking violations or the accident.

He said: "I am very worried. Will I be held responsible for these offences? If the other car is involved in an accident that results in death?"

Meanwhile, the LTA confirmed that Mr Osman is the registered owner of that licence plate number.

LTA spokesman Ms Naleeza Ebrahim told Berita Harian: "Mr Osman has contacted our enforcement division and has supplied us with the details. We are investigating."

She stressed that the LTA takes a serious view of the matter and will take firm action.