Fastag Nightmare: Car Parked at Home, Toll Deducted from Account
In a bizarre incident highlighting potential vulnerabilities in India's electronic toll collection system, a resident of Khanna, Ludhiana, was left shocked when he received a message about a toll deduction while his vehicle was securely parked at his residence. Gurpreet Singh, who runs an electronic goods repair shop in Jethi Nagar, found himself a victim of an unexplained Fastag transaction.
The Unexplained Alert on a Quiet Evening
The incident occurred on a Saturday evening around 5 PM. Gurpreet Singh was at home with his mother and uncle when his mobile phone buzzed with an alert. The message notified him of a deduction of Rs 150 as a toll paid at the Kiranj Plaza on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway route.
"Initially, I dismissed it as a routine bank notification," Singh told reporters. "But when I received the same alert on Truecaller, I became concerned. I immediately went outside to check my Maruti Brezza, fitted with an HDFC Fastag, and it was parked right where I left it."
Singh clarified that he had last used the car to visit his in-laws in Doraha on December 6 and 7 and had not taken it out since. He has never travelled on the expressway route from where the toll was allegedly deducted. "My only trip to Delhi was back in 2019," he asserted.
Seeking Answers from NHAI and the Bank
Alarmed by the unauthorized transaction, Gurpreet Singh took swift action. He contacted the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) helpline at 1033 to register his complaint. The NHAI representative assured him that he would be informed about the investigation's outcome within 24 hours and advised him to also contact his bank, which issued the Fastag.
Upon calling the bank's customer care, Singh received a different explanation and assurance. "The customer care executive told me that my money would be refunded within 15 days and that the deduction happened due to a technical issue," he recounted. Singh remains worried about the security of his Fastag account and has installed CCTV footage from his home and street as proof that his car was stationary.
Not an Isolated Case in Punjab
This is not the first such complaint from the region. In a similar incident on March 31, Paramjit Ahuja, a printing press owner from New Model Town on Amloh Road, Khanna, received a message about his vehicle passing through the Dharer Azizpur Toll Plaza. At the time of the alert, his vehicle was parked outside his house. In that case, Rs 45 was deducted from his Fastag account.
These back-to-back incidents raise serious questions about the technical robustness and security protocols of the Fastag system. They point to potential glitches that can lead to unauthorized financial deductions, causing distress and inconvenience to vehicle owners who rely on the system for seamless travel.
The episodes underscore the need for stronger accountability from both the NHAI, which manages the toll plazas, and the partner banks that issue Fastags. Consumers are advised to regularly monitor their Fastag transaction alerts and immediately report any discrepancies to the concerned authorities to protect their funds.
