Toll fraud: ED busts 100 plazas using ‘Mobdata’ & ‘Any’ apps to siphon crores from non-FASTag vehicles
During the raids, the agency seized approximately ₹1.03 crore in cash, alongside account books, bank documents, and digital devices. Additionally, eight bank accounts linked to the fraudulent operations were frozen.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) uncovered a significant toll collection fraud, with approximately 100 highway plazas across the nation allegedly using unauthorized digital apps to illegally collect millions of rupees from vehicles lacking FASTag stickers, as reported by PTI. FASTag, an RFID passive tag attached to car windshields, allows seamless and authorized toll payments from connected bank accounts; vehicles without these tags typically pay in cash.
To capitalize on this, toll plaza operators deployed unapproved apps named 'Mobdata' and 'Any', according to the PTI report. When non-FASTag vehicles approached the plaza, these apps were utilized to produce counterfeit toll receipts. These secondary portals enabled operators to collect cash while remaining oblivious to the National Highways Authority of India's (NHAI) official system.
By evading legitimate toll reporting, the intermediaries and authorized toll collection entities amassed crores, resulting in substantial revenue losses for NHAI. Consequently, the central agency initiated multi-state searches on September 2, targeting 14 locations in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal, and the Delhi-NCR region.
Forensic analysis of seized digital devices from the accused revealed that this illicit method was employed at around 100 toll plazas, with unauthorized toll receipts totaling crores recorded from the digital records. During the raids, the agency seized around ₹1.03 crore in cash, along with account books, bank documents, and digital devices.
Moreover, eight bank accounts associated with the fraudulent activities were frozen. The ED's investigation is based on a criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), which was filed in January 2025 by the Mirzapur district police in Uttar Pradesh. The initial complaint alleged large-scale fraudulent toll collection at the Atraila Shiv Gulam toll plaza and pointed to a larger network operating nationwide.
The ED's probe suggests the active participation of numerous intermediaries and NHAI-entrusted entities in deploying these illicit applications, and further examination is ongoing to dismantle the broader network.
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