Check criminal background of toll plaza employees: Cops

Following the murder of a toll plaza employee in Bidadi, police have asked the authorities to check the criminal record of toll staff. They have also issued guidelines on the physical appearance of toll plaza staff.

B R Ravikanthe Gowda, Inspector General of Police (Central), said: "Following the murder, I have given instructions to all the superintendents of police (SPs) and inspectors of all the police stations under the Central Range to have a meeting on toll staff about their behaviour. They will be instructed on how to behave with passengers. We will also set guidelines for them on their physical appearance such as hairstyle, dressing, etc. They should look decent and behave decently with the public. The jurisdictional police will give instructions to toll staff. The management will be instructed to get the employees' antecedents checked by the police."

The assault on car passengers was the main reason for the murder of a toll plaza employee in Bidadi on Sunday midnight, police investigation shows.

Police verified the CCTV footage of the toll. A mini goods vehicle auto which didn’t have FASTag was passing the toll. The staff were collecting money from the vehicle.

Four men in a car were behind the goods vehicle, all of them were under the influence of alcohol. As the staff was delaying the process of collecting money from the goods vehicle, the car-borne passengers got down from the vehicle and questioned the delay. In the heated argument, the toll staff assaulted the passengers. Since the toll staff numbers were more, the passengers left the place with a warning.

Later, two of the four came near the toll on a two-wheeler. They observed the movements of the deceased toll plaza employee, Pavan Kumar Nayak, who had beaten them more. When he and Manjunatha K left the toll office and went to have liquor near a lake, the duo followed them and attacked them with a wooden log which led to the death of Nayak while undergoing treatment in the hospital.

A senior officer said: "If the toll staff had not assaulted the passengers, the murder wouldn’t have taken place. We have ascertained the details of the killers and traced two others who were in the car but not at the murder spot. Their roles are being verified. All four are residents of Mysuru Road in the city. We are in touch with their family members and have instructed them to alert the police or make the accused surrender. Meanwhile, the efforts are on to nab the duo on the run."