Robbers in red beacon car loot Rs 1.85 lakh from Gurgaon toll booth

A group of six men armed with iron rods and other sharp objects assaulted the staff of a toll plaza in Gurgaon and decamped with Rs 1.85 lakh kept in the booth.

Though the incident took place on Monday night at a commercial toll plaza on the Gurgaon-Pataudi road, it came to light on Thursday when the staff released CCTV footage of the incident to the press.

Around six youth came in a red beacon fitted black coloured SUV at around 8:55 pm on October 14, thrashed the toll attendant Ravi and looted Rs 1.85 lakh kept in a cupboard in his cabin, said Laxmikant Sharma, in-charge of the toll plaza located in Waizirpur village on Gurgaon-Pataudi road.

When a guard tried to intervene, he was badly beaten up by the assailants, who were carrying iron rods and other such sharp objects.

Police was informed but they took 30 minutes to arrive at the scene, claimed Sharma.

Station House Officer of Sector 10 Police Station Hans Raj said police lodged an FIR on Tuesday after initial investigation against unknown youth.

On the basis of the CCTV recording, police have traced the owner of the SUV and identified some of the youth who committed the crime, the SHO said.

No arrests have been made in the case though raids are being carried out.

Asked if a quarrel over collection of toll led to the attack, Sharma said, "It is a commercial toll plaza and we do not stop private vehicles for toll collection".

The injured guard was initially admitted to a private hospital in Gurgaon and thereafter referred to Delhi. He is out of danger, he said.

This is not the first attack on toll plaza staff in Gurgaon. In September 2011, a young toll plaza attendant was shot dead by passengers in a car when he asked for the toll fee of Rs 27 from them.

Image: This CCTV grab shows the robbers attacking the toll operator before ransacking the cash counters