Gang involved in illegal toll collection busted, 1 arrested

Motihari: Police on Thursday busted a gang involved in the illegal collection of tolls in the name of the Motihari Municipal Corporation on NH-28A, which passes through the Motihari town area. One person was arrested in connection with the racket and a case has been registered against four people.
The gang had been forcefully collecting tolls from cargo-laden trucks and small commercial vehicles at several locations without any official authorisation. Sources said they were making substantial daily earnings, allegedly with the backing of some municipal corporation officials. The operation came to light after several truck drivers travelling to and from Nepal raised concerns and informed senior police officers. On average, between 500 and 1,000 commercial trucks pass through the town each day.
The police swung into action after an audio recording surfaced and went viral. It captured a dispute between a container driver and members of the gang. The illegal toll collection was taking place at Kuwaridevi Chowk under the Mufassil police station area. Acting on this, police reached the spot, arrested one of the collectors, identified as Nikhil Kumar, and filed a case against four other members of the gang.
East Champaran SP Swarn Prabhat said, "Illegal collection was going on in full swing in this municipal corporation area by a gang and the police took this step. The illegally acquired assets of the gang members will also be confiscated."