Navi Mumbai resident crashes MTHL toll barrier to avoid paying Rs 200

The accused has been identified as 22-year-old Shoaib Ali Khan. He is a resident of Sector 19 in Ulwe and manages his brother-in-law’s transport business.

August 14, 2024

In a bizarre incident, a driver crashed his car through a steel toll barrier at the Mumbai Trans-harbour link (MTHL) around midnight on Monday, August 12, to avoid paying the toll charge of Rs 200, damaging the barrier as well as injuring a toll booth employee.

The accused has been identified as 22-year-old Shoaib Ali Khan. He is a resident of Sector 19 in Ulwe and manages his brother-in-law’s transport business.

An officer stated that he had travelled to Mumbai for business purposes in a red-coloured Maruti Suzuki Brezza. As Khan reached at the Shivaji Nagar toll gate on his return journey at home, he realised that he did not have the required amount for one-way toll charge of Rs 200 for this route. Therefore, to avoid paying the toll, he is reported to have stepped on the accelerator and hit the toll barrier, to speed away.

Two employees at the toll tried to get the car to halt but the accused continued with his rash and negligent driving. During this process, one of them got hurt in the process, the officer added. The victim has been identified as Aadesh Deshmukh, 24. He had to seek medical aid.

The toll employees eventually managed to stop the vehicle. After the accused was apprehended, he was handed over to the police.The car is registered in the name of his brother-in-law, Saddam Sirajul Hussain. Nhava Sheva Police have registered a case under Sections 281 (rash and negligent driving), 125 and 125(A) (endangering human life) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and relevant sections of the Motor Vehicle Act against the accused.