Kozhikode: Six employees of the Olavanna toll plaza in Pantheerankavu, near Kozhikode, have been booked for allegedly diverting nearly ₹7 lakh in toll collections to a private company’s account by manipulating the QR code payment system.

The alleged fraud took place between September 2 and October 2, according to the Pantheerankavu police. According to police, the accused used a QR code linked to a private entity to redirect payments made by motorists, causing a significant loss to the toll plaza.

The accused have been identified as Vipin Rajput (23), Umashankar (40), Monty Rajput (21), Harimohan (19), Shivam (21) and Naveen Singh Badoria (24), all from Uttar Pradesh. Police have taken Badoria, the sixth accused, into custody. Police subsequently produced him before a court and remanded him.

The other five accused had reportedly returned to their hometowns after their contract period ended. Pantheerankavu police said steps were being taken to trace and apprehend them.

According to the preliminary investigation, the alleged scheme was carried out on the instructions of the first accused, Vipin Rajput. When vehicles without FASTag arrived at the toll plaza, employees allegedly displayed a QR code belonging to a private company for motorists to scan and make payments. Instead of reaching the toll plaza’s authorised account, the money was allegedly credited to the private account and later shared among the accused.

The fraud came to light after the toll plaza management noticed a decline in collections and conducted an internal inspection. The findings prompted toll plaza official Amit Kumar Sharma to file a complaint, based on which the Pantheerankavu police registered a case.