₹9-cr Rolls-Royce Ghost skips ₹130 levy at NH 66 toll plaza in Kozhikode; Police say no rule to act

Kozhikode: What can ₹130 mean to the owner of an ₹9-crore Rolls-Royce Ghost? Yet, that is the toll fee the ultra-luxury sedan allegedly avoided paying when it sped through the Pantheerankavu toll plaza on National Highway 66 earlier this month.

The incident has prompted toll plaza authorities to file complaints with the Pantheerankavu police and officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Authorities have also handed over CCTV footage of the incident, along with details of the vehicle and its FASTag account.

According to toll plaza officials, the incident occurred on the evening of June 4. CCTV visuals show the black Rolls-Royce Ghost closely tailing another vehicle waiting at the toll counter. Moments after the first vehicle completed the payment and the boom barrier rose, the Rolls-Royce driver allegedly accelerated through the lane before the barrier could close, thereby avoiding the toll payment.

The vehicle was later identified as being registered in Haryana, bearing registration number HR26BX0309. Toll authorities said they shared the registration details and FASTag information with the police for further action.

The toll plaza on the six-lane NH 66 stretch between Ramanattukara and Vengalam was opened recently. Since then, disputes and complaints related to toll collection have become a regular occurrence.

 "On average, around 200 vehicles avoid paying the ₹130 toll at our plaza every day. We routinely hand over the details of such vehicles to the Pantheerankavu police and NHAI authorities. But seeing a luxury vehicle like a Rolls-Royce Ghost skip the toll was shocking. We don't know why people behave this way," a toll plaza official said.

The official added that it is the responsibility of the police and other authorities to trace the vehicle owners and initiate action. "Our role is limited to reporting such incidents and providing the available evidence," he said.

However, Pantheerankavu police said there are practical and legal limitations in proceeding against vehicles that evade toll payments.

"There is no specific provision that enables us to impose a fine solely for skipping a toll booth. It is also not practical to trace every vehicle involved in such incidents. Even toll operators are often flexible because occasional toll evasions do not significantly affect their operations," a senior police officer said.

The officer clarified that police intervention is generally limited to incidents involving disputes, obstruction, illegal parking or clashes between toll staff and motorists.

"We can take action when there are law-and-order issues at the toll plaza. At present, there is no mechanism for us to proceed against motorists solely for avoiding a toll payment," the officer added.