From coming across cyber crimes impacting individuals or small groups, the recent case shocked the nation. A 35-year-old MCA graduate exploited loopholes in India’s automated toll collection system, FASTag & siphoned off crores of rupees.
This elaborate scam ran for two years, affecting 42 toll plazas across 14 states, indicating the widespread nature of the fraud. The scam resulted in the loss of crores of taxpayer money, raising serious concerns about the security of digital infrastructure.
FASTag was introduced to streamline toll payments, but this incident has raised a crucial question: Is India truly ready for such rapid digital development?
How Scammer Misused the Technology?
Working in an organization, identifying the loopholes, and taking advantage to reap personal benefits, is what a 35-year-old MCA graduate, Alok Kumar Nath did.
Post-graduated from the private college he didn’t get any good job and worked in toll plaza in the year 2021. He used his tech knowledge to develop software that mimics NHAI software used for collecting toll tax.
He along with the toll tax manager and IT personnel incorporated the software in 42 different toll plazas across 14 states and ran the scam of over crores for 2 years.
Unlocking the Modus Operandi of the Scam
He created illegal software and targeted vehicles without FASTag or with insufficient FASTag balance. The unauthorized program of the software operated in parallel to the NHAI official software and generated a slip on tax collection from a vehicle that mimics the actual receipt.
Scammer along with other collaborators recorded 5% of the collected tax in the NHAI software and marked 95% as exempted or unregistered.
This 95% amount was then transferred to the personal bank account of the scammer and collaborates.
The scam amount would be disclosed after a complete investigation. But looking at the collection amount of Mirzapur Atraula Toll Plaza where NHAI faced a daily average loss of ₹45,000 alone, the total scale of the scam is estimated to run into crores..
How the Scam Was Exposed?
The Special Task Force (STF) of Uttar Pradesh, along with intelligence agencies, uncovered the scam after analyzing data from multiple toll plazas.
During the investigation, Alok Kumar Nath confessed to installing the fraudulent software at 42 toll plazas across various states, including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat
After investigation, mastermind Nath along with toll manager Rajeev Kumar Mishra and an employee involved in printing fabricated receipts, Manish Mishra were arrested.
Conclusion
This case reveals vulnerabilities in the toll collection process and shows how technology can be misused for personal gain.
While the FASTag system aims to make toll collection efficient, this fraud underscores the need for constant monitoring and improvements in the system’s security features.
