Toll collection fraud follow-up: ED seizes ₹1.03 cr, freezes eight bank lockers

Searches at 14 premises across six states and Delhi-NCR yield digital devices, financial records and evidence of alleged unauthorised software use at around 100 toll plazas

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized approximately ₹1.03 crore in cash and frozen eight bank lockers during searches at 14 premises across six states, at least. The searches were part of its money-laundering probe into an alleged nationwide fraudulent toll collection racket, confirmed senior ED officials here on Thursday.

For representation only (HT File Photo)

The searches were conducted by the ED’s Allahabad sub-zonal office in Prayagraj on Wednesday under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The case stems from an FIR registered in January 2025 at Lalganj police station in Mirzapur in connection with alleged fraudulent toll collection at the Atraila Toll Plaza and several other toll plazas across the country.

Besides the cash seizure and freezing of bank lockers, ED officials recovered and seized a large volume of incriminating material, including books of account, financial records, bank-related documents and digital devices. The agency said the material is likely to provide further leads into the flow of funds generated through the alleged illegal toll collection mechanism.

Investigators have specifically recovered material relating to toll-wise collection and reporting, non-FASTag collections, bank accounts and financial transactions, suspicious communications and the operation and deployment of unauthorised software applications.

The ED probe has also brought under scrutiny the alleged use of unauthorised applications ‘Mobdata’ and ‘Any’, which were purportedly deployed to facilitate toll collection from vehicles without FASTag or with insufficient FASTag balance.

The unauthorised applications were used to generate fake toll receipts while concealing the collections from the official system of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). This allegedly enabled toll operators to bypass lawful reporting mechanisms and resulted in revenue losses to the authority.

The ED said that the forensic examination of digital devices seized from accused persons has indicated that the mechanism was used at around 100 toll plazas. Digital records examined so far have revealed unauthorised toll receipts involving amounts running into crores of rupees.

The agency is now examining the wider financial trail, including bank transactions and the movement of funds allegedly generated through the unauthorised toll collections. The seizure of books of account and financial records during Wednesday’s searches is expected to help investigators establish the relationship between toll-wise collections, their reporting and subsequent movement of money.

The investigation has further indicated the alleged involvement of intermediaries and toll collection entities entrusted with toll operations by NHAI. ED officials are examining their role in the deployment of the unauthorized applications and identifying other individuals and entities connected with the suspected network.

The searches have also yielded digital evidence relating to communications among persons allegedly involved in the operation of the software and collection mechanism.