A 39-year-old toll plaza manager was allegedly crushed to death by an SUV at the Baddo-Patti toll plaza on the Hisar-Chandigarh highway near Barwala in Hisar district early on Tuesday.
The deceased has been identified as Sanjay Shukla, a resident of Dudhara in the Prayagraj district of Uttar Pradesh.
Police said the incident took place around 1.45am on Tuesday after an argument broke out between Shukla and four individuals in a Mahindra Scorpio over a ₹130 toll payment.
Hisar superintendent of police Siddhant Jain said, “The toll manager was killed after the driver of the vehicle hit him following an argument over the toll fee.”
According to the police, the manager had asked the four youths travelling in the SUV to produce local identification documents to avail a fee waiver meant for residents of nearby villages. While the occupants showed their IDs, they allegedly refused to produce the vehicle’s registration certificate (RC), triggering the confrontation.
Toll employees told the police that the situation quickly escalated. The youths drove off, hitting Shukla with the vehicle. As he fell onto the road, the driver ran over him and fled.
{{/usCountry}}Toll employees told the police that the situation quickly escalated. The youths drove off, hitting Shukla with the vehicle. As he fell onto the road, the driver ran over him and fled.
{{/usCountry}}Upon receiving information, the police reached the spot and recovered the CCTV footage from the crime scene. The body has been sent to Agroha Medical College for a post-mortem examination.
“One accused has been taken into custody for questioning, and the vehicle has been recovered,” SP Jain said, adding that a case of murder has been registered. “All four accused have been identified and will soon be arrested,” he said.
Police sources said that the accused belong to Bahabalpur village, though the police have not disclosed their identities.
Meanwhile, the victim’s family in Prayagraj has been informed and are on their way to Hisar.