Man mows down NHAI toll plaza employee to avoid paying in Noida

The toll staff worker, identified as Shekhar Yadav, has sustained multiple injuries, including a fractured leg, said officers

A staff worker at the National Highway Authority of India’s Chijarsi toll plaza in Noida’s Sorkha was mowed down by a Brezza SUV on Sunday in a deliberate act because the driver did not wish to pay the toll, police officers said on Monday, adding that they are attempting to apprehend the driver.

Screengrab of CCTV footage shows the white Brezza SUV mowing down the toll plaza employee on Monday. (HT Photo)

The toll staff worker, identified as Shekhar Yadav, has sustained multiple injuries, including a fractured leg, said officers.

According to police officers, the incident was recorded on CCTV at the toll plaza.

The toll is in the Hapur district and is part of the Delhi-Meerut Expressway project’s phase 3. Officers said that the white-coloured Brezza SUV had a Noida registration number and was heading towards Hapur on Sunday morning when the incident occurred.

“The car driver was behind a truck in the queue at the toll on the road from Ghaziabad to Hapur. When the truck passed through the gates, the car sped behind it and escaped without paying the toll. Staff on the other side of the toll gate attempted to stop the car, but it sped away. However, after driving for at least 200 metres, the car turned around and, after entering the wrong side lane, drove back and purposefully hit the toll staff worker. The staff worker was crushed beneath the wheels. The driver then fled towards Hapur,” said Deepak Verma, manager of the Chijarsi toll plaza.

“He was rushed to the hospital and suffered multiple injuries, including a fractured leg. We filed a police complaint against the Brezza driver, and the police are attempting to locate him,” Verma added.

Police officers associated with the case said that they learned through the GPS device installed in the vehicle that the suspect had turned off the car’s ignition after the incident.

“We searched an address in Noida’s Sorkha, which we believe to be the home of the car driver who mowed down the toll employee, but the house was locked. When the incident occurred, the driver was on his way to meet his relatives in Hapur. We are attempting to locate him and the Brezza SUV involved in the incident,” said Varun Mishra, circle officer (Pilkhuwa).

According to the police, they filed a first information report (FIR) under Indian Penal Code Section 307 (attempt to murder) at Pilkhuwa police station based on the complaint given by the toll plaza manager. The FIR mentions the SUV’s registration number as “UP 16,” a Gautam Budh Nagar number.