Gurgaon, September 26
The Gurgaon police has arrested two persons in connection with the murder of Umesh Kant Pandey, an attendant at the Kherki-Daula toll plaza.

Pandey was shot dead by a man in a white Bolero three days ago after an altercation over payment of toll tax.

Addressing a news conference here today, Gurgaon Police Commissioner SS Deswal said the two suspects have been identified as Vijay Veer Yadav of nearby Kho village and his accomplice Manjeet Singh of Shikohpur village. The police has also recovered the white Bolero, which was being driven by Vijay. Both accused were produced in a local court, which remanded them in three-day police custody.

According to the police, Vijay, who was in an inebriated condition, refused to pay the toll tax at the barrier. “He claimed exemption from paying toll tax stating that he was a local resident. Pandey, the toll attendant, asked for the vehicle registration certificate, but Yadav showed him a photocopy of the document. Eventually, Pandey opened the boom-barrier and asked him to go. But instead of leaving, Vijay shot Pandey and fled,” said Deswal.

After the incident, he called up his friend Manjeet and sent him to the crime spot. He told Manjeet to find out if the toll collector had died or was injured. Manjeet, who runs a gym, went to the toll plaza and was captured on CCTV cameras. The police said toll plaza employees had become suspicious when Manjeet enquired about Pandey and even tried to catch him but the accused managed to escape.

The duo were tracked down after the police searched extensively for a white Bolero in the area. “Around 41 teams, under DCP Maheshwar Dayal, were deployed at different villages around Gurgaon to search for a similar vehicle and to collect information regarding all the white Boleros registered in Gurgaon and in nearby areas,” Deswal added.

The Police Commissioner, however, pointed out that the CCTV cameras installed at the toll plaza were not of good quality. “The NHAI and the concessionaire, DSC Ltd, have been told to do the needful in this regard,” he said.

Meanwhile, the company has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for Pandey’s family. “We are also considering the option of offering employment to the deceased’s brother if he is eligible and interested,” the company said in a statement issued here today.