Fake toll plaza on Gujarat Highway remains unnoticed for 1.5 years

By: Pune Pulse

December 8, 2023

Pune: A group of individuals on the Bamanbore-Kutch National Highway in Gujarat managed to deceive government authorities for more than a year by establishing a fraudulent toll plaza on privately owned property, effectively circumventing the actual highway.

For a year and a half, the police and top government officials of the district in Gujarat’s Morbi were deceived by a fraudulent toll plaza. 

This illegal establishment was cunningly placed on private property, bypassing a national highway. Operating under the guise of a legitimate toll booth, they shamelessly charged half the usual price, swindling unsuspecting individuals.

The Vaghasia toll plaza manager, responsible for overseeing the authorized toll collection on the national highway, has revealed that private landowners have been shamelessly extorting thousands of rupees on a daily basis for a period of 1.5 years. These individuals have been diverting traffic away from the designated route and instead directing it through land owned by the White House Ceramic Company, a defunct factory, and the Varghasia village.

As per reports, vehicles are being redirected from the designated route of the Varghasia toll plaza, resulting in the collection of toll taxes. Prompted by this information, the police and other authorities promptly arrived at the scene to conduct an investigation and subsequently filed a comprehensive complaint.

Amarshi Patel, Vanraj Singh Jhala, Harvijay Singh Jhala, Dharmendra Singh Jhala, Yuvraj Singh Jhala, and unidentified individuals have been named in a complaint filed by the police against the owner of White House Ceramic Company.

According to officials, these individuals, who are known for their influence in the area, have been involved in extorting money from truck drivers and compelling them to pay a ‘toll plaza’ fee.