Woman employee slapped, punched by man at Kherki Daula toll plaza in Gurugram

The accused man was identified as Rahul, 23, a resident of Shikohpur village who works as a milk supplier. He was arrested by the police on Thursday while trying to flee the spot. Rahul was produced before a district court in the city and sent to judicial custody.

A 21-year-old female toll collector was manhandled, slapped and punched by a man who refused to pay toll at the Kherki Daula plaza on Thursday morning, the police said. The toll collector who in a video of the incident is seen fighting back, sustained bruises on her face. The woman alleged it was the second time she was assaulted at the toll booth.

According to the police, the incident took place on Thursday around 10.45am when the suspect entered lane number 11 of the toll plaza in his car. (Screengrab)

The accused man was identified as Rahul, 23, a resident of Shikohpur village who works as a milk supplier. He was arrested by the police on Thursday while trying to flee the spot. Rahul was produced before a district court in the city and sent to judicial custody. Police said that he was going to Manesar from Gurugram in his car, which was confiscated.

According to the police, the incident took place on Thursday around 10.45am when the suspect entered lane number 11 of the toll plaza in his car.

“When he stopped at the booth, I asked him to pay the toll fee, but he refused and began abusing me. He then got out of his car and started hitting me. The incident was captured on CCTV. I am very scared, as he threatened to kill me,” Soni Kumar, the victim, said in the FIR.

Speaking to HT, she said the suspect man allegedly refused to pay toll and showed her somebody elses Aadhaar card. “I told him to not use objectionable language with me or else I would make him pay for it. He then got really angry and hit me,” Kumar, who hails from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, added.

She has been working at the toll plaza for the past two years and this was the second time that someone had hit her for refusing to pay the toll fee. Kumar alleged that around four months ago, she had an altercation with a couple over the payment of the toll fee, and the woman had hit her. Even after these incidents, she said she would continue to work at the toll plaza to make a living.

In one piece of CCTV footage, the suspect, seen wearing a pink T-shirt, gets off his car and begins arguing with the victim, who is seated in the booth. As the argument heats up, she gets up from her seat and leans out the window. The suspect suddenly slaps the victim and a toll employee tries to shut the window. However, the victim opens it and slaps the man. He then punches her in the face and tries to get away, but she gets hold of him. He is seen punching her multiple times until other toll employees stop him.

Kirpal Singh, PRO, Skylark, operator of the toll plaza, said they had filed a police complaint and handed over CCTV footage to the police.

Subhash Boken, police spokesperson, said, “The suspect was arrested from the spot. His car has been confiscated. Police are investigating the case.”

A case was registered against the accused man under sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 294 (obscene act in any public place) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Kherki Daula police station on Thursday.

At least five FIRs in cases of assault on toll booth employees have been registered in the city so far this year.