The Pantheerankavu police have registered a case against six employees of a toll plaza in Kozhikode city for allegedly siphoning off more than ₹7 lakh by diverting toll payments to their personal bank accounts using private QR code scanners.
The accused have been identified as Umashankar, Monti Rajput, Harimohan, Shim, Naveen Singh Bhadoriya and Bibin Rajput, all natives of Uttar Pradesh. Bibin Rajput was taken into police custody, while the other five allegedly returned to their home State after their contract periods expired.
The alleged fraud came to light during an inspection by the toll plaza manager after the employees had left their jobs. The police have initiated further steps to bring the remaining accused to Kozhikode for a detailed investigation.
According to the police, the employees allegedly targeted vehicles that passed through the toll plaza without FASTag. They would display QR codes linked to private accounts to collect payments from motorists instead of routing the money through the authorised toll collection system.
The toll plaza manager lodged a complaint with the Pantheerankavu police after examining the accounts following the employees’ departure. The police registered a case and launched an investigation.
A senior police officer said the amount identified so far was based on a preliminary assessment and that the total sum allegedly misappropriated could be higher. Further investigation is under way to establish the full extent of the alleged fraud and trace the money collected through the QR codes. Sub-Inspector N. Rajkumar is leading the investigation.
Published - October 16, 2026 10:19 pm IST