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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Rahul Gandhi to attend friendly football match between Messi, Revanth Reddy in Hyderabad
Hyderabad (PTI): Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, will attend the GOAT India Tour event featuring football legend Lionel Messi at the RGI Cricket Stadium here on Saturday evening, Telangana Congress sources said.
A friendly match will be played between the two teams -- Singareni RR9 and Aparna-Messi All Stars. These two teams will be playing a 15-20 minute friendly match and five minutes before the game, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, a football enthusiast and Messi will join and will dribble the ball together.
Rahul Gandhi will land here on a special flight at 4.30 PM and will proceed to Taj Falaknuma Palace Hotel where Messi will be staying.
After watching the game, Gandhi will leave for the national capital by 10.30 PM.
Elaborate security arrangements are being made for the event at the RGI Cricket stadium.
Rachakonda Police Commissioner Sudheer Babu said security would be provided with 3,000 personnel.
