Gujarat police books five for running fake toll plaza for over one year swindling over Rs. 75 crore
Ahmedabad: Gujarat Police have initiated legal proceedings against five individuals for operating an illegal toll plaza in Morbi district, providing unauthorized passage to vehicles through a private route while collecting significantly reduced toll fees compared to the genuine toll plaza. The revelation, which surfaced just weeks after the exposure of a network of conmen running fake government offices, has caused embarrassment for the state government.
The fake toll booth, reportedly operational for over a year, is said to have amassed more than ₹75 crore in toll fees. The authorities took action following media reports about the operation.
The accused, including Amarshi Patel, the owner of a ceramic factory and son of a prominent Patidar community leader in Saurashtra, have been named in the FIR. His accomplices include Ravirajsinh Jhala, Harvijaysinh Jhala, Dharmendrasinh Jhala, Yuvrajsinh Jhala, and an unidentified individual.
The illegal toll plaza was set up within a closed ceramic factory called 'White House.' By creating alternative roads to bypass the legitimate Vaghasiya toll plaza on the Bamanbore-Kutch national highway between Morbi and Wankaner, the culprits asked commuters into paying lower toll fees than the rates at original toll plaza.
No complaints were registered by commuters, as they were charged considerably less than the official toll rates. The Vaghasiya toll plaza, situated on National Highway 8A connecting Morbi to Kutch, was circumvented by the accused, who collected fees ranging from ₹20 to ₹200 for vehicles, while the actual toll rates ranged from ₹110 to ₹595.
Upon media exposure, the local administration intervened, lodging a complaint against the fake toll booth operators. District Collector G.T. Pandya revealed that the agency managing the main toll plaza refused to file a complaint, prompting local authorities to act independently.
Health Minister and government spokesperson Rushikesh Patel stated on Monday that "strict actions will be taken against those found guilty of running a bogus toll booth to collect money." Meanwhile, retired IPS officer Ramesh Savani in a Facebook claimed the accused had allegedly accumulated around ₹82 crore in 18 months, expressing surprise over the authorities' delayed awareness of the illegal operation.
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Defamatory post against Dharmasthala Veerendra Heggade: Case registered against Girish Mattannavar
Belthangady: A case has been registered at Dharmasthala police station against Girish Mattannavar over a complaint regarding alleged defamatory posts on social media against Dr. D. Veerendra Heggade, Dharmadhikari of Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala.
The complaint was filed by Subrahmanya Prasad, a resident of Dharmasthala.
The complainant stated that Mattannavar posted content on Instagram making allegations against Dr. Heggade and allegedly affecting his reputation.
Based on the complaint, a case was registered under Section 353(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which is related to spreading false information, rumours, or alarming news, on April 18, and the investigation is in progress.
Following information about Mattannavar’s appearance at the SIT office on May 7, a police officer from Dharmasthala police station issued a notice directing him to appear at the station within a week.
