Seven bouncers at Kalindi Kunj toll plaza arrested for truck driver’s murder

Seven privately hired bouncers were arrested for allegedly murdering a truck driver on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday near the Kalindi Kunj toll plaza over the driver’s failure to pay ₹14,600, demanded as a penalty for crossing the border without paying the toll.

The driver was identified as Vimal Tiwari (30), a native of Ballia. His body had been found on Saturday morning on the Yamuna bridge, just within the Noida border. The police said that the CCTV footage at the toll shows the suspects harassing Tiwari.

The accused were identified as Manurup, Dharmpal, Amit Kumar, Chetan Prakash, Sarrajudin and Manoj, natives of Rajasthan and Krishna Kumar, a native of Haryana.

“Tiwari had crossed into Delhi without paying the toll, following which the suspects got into a flying team vehicle and followed him. They asked him to pay a penalty 10 times the toll ( ₹14,600). However, he did not have the money and called up his boss to clear things up,” said Vaibhav Krishna, senior superintendent of police.

The driver was advised by his employer to apologise to them and settle the issue, but the suspects asked him to pay the money. “Things started heating up and the suspects started beating him, which he resisted. The autopsy revealed that he had sustained 10 major injuries to vital organs. He was beaten with hard and blunt objects, probably sticks,” the SSP said.

The suspects are employees of MEP infrastructure, the company contracted by the Delhi municipality for providing security at toll plazas. “They have been working for the company for almost a year and a half. We received complaints of extortion earlier as well and will now write to the Delhi police to look into the matter as well,” said Krishna.

A senior official of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), who did not wish to be name, said, “There is indeed a provision of charging 10 times penalty if a commercial vehicle tries to flee without paying the toll amount. However, this is a subject of police investigation now and we would like to comment on it only after the police gives a conclusive report.”

The police are, meanwhile, also looking at the role of the driver of the flying team car. They are also on the lookout for the toll manager.

On the night of the incident, Tiwari had left Sector 59 around 11.30pm, ferrying electrical equipment, to Ghitorni in Delhi, according to Tiwari’s family.

“After he encountered the bouncers, he called his boss, who lives in Ghaziabad. As the dispute wasn’t settled, the boss came to our house as well, saying we should go there with the money to help him out. However, we were too late. When we reached there, we saw them assaulting my brother. Upon seeing us, they fled,” said Ram Shringar Tiwari, the victim’s brother.

A Delhi police constable had also reached the spot and a call was made to the police helpline, following which the Noida police recovered the body around 6am.

Based on Ram’s complaint, a case was registered at the Sector 39 police station under sections 147, 149, 384 and 302 of the IPC.

Tiwari had living arrangements with his employer, while his family lives in Wajidpur village. He is survived by his wife and three children.