Afghan traffic officials are to retire licence plates containing the number 39 because a popular conception that the figure is linked to prostitution is leading to corruption.
Amrullah Saleh, the vice president, said removing the unpopular plates would remove a tempting source of bribery for traffic officers.
Drivers bearing the unpopular plate can face so much mockery and attention that they often paint over the offending digits, or pay a backhander to get a new licence.
"The number (39) will be removed from the traffic system. It is said that people pay $300 bribes to avoid the number," Mr Saleh said in a Facebook post.
The origin of the stigma is hazy, but is often said to stem from an urban legend about a notorious pimp in the Western city of Herat whose car and flat both bore the number.
"At the traffic department they ask you if you want number 39 or not," a Kabul car dealer called Hakim told AFP. "If you don’t, then they ask for a bribe."
Cars bearing 39 plates are difficult to sell.
"Last year, I had to sell two cars at almost half the price because they had 39 in their number plates," he said.
Drivers with the cursed plate say they find themselves being pointed at, flashed at, beeped at and laughed at.
The number’s notoriety extends beyond cars. Flats marked 39 are almost impossible to sell and those bearing the digits in their phone number can also be taunted.
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