Six Toll Plaza Employees Booked for Diverting Over Rs 7 Lakh via QR Code Fraud
Police in Kozhikode have registered a case against six toll plaza employees accused of diverting over Rs 7 lakh by using private QR codes to collect toll payments from vehicles without FASTag. The employees allegedly routed payments to personal accounts instead of the authorised system between September 2 and October 5. One accused is in custody, while others have left after contract expiry. Investigations continue to determine the full extent of the fraud and recover the diverted funds.
First-hand measurement across 2 sources
We measured how 2 outlets covered this story. No outlet gave this story a measurable political slant — there is no left–right reading to report. Overall sentiment is neutral (45/100). Lens Score 43/100.
Outlets measured: thehindu, news18. See how each one headlined and framed the same story in the source comparison below.
AI Analysis
Sentiment was consistent across outlets (45–45/100), indicating broadly factual reporting rather than editorialising.
Coverage timeline
news18 broke this story on 16 Oct, 09:18 am. Other outlets followed.
- 1news1816 Oct, 09:18 amKeralam: Six toll plaza employees booked for diverting Rs 7 lakh using QR codes
- 2thehindu16 Oct, 04:53 pmQR code fraud: police register case against six toll plaza employees in Kozhikode
Accountability flags
TBN's analysis identified the following accountability dimensions in this story.
- financial irregularity
This story involves alleged financial misconduct — unexplained transactions, procurement irregularities, or misuse of public/shareholder funds.
Who's involved
Institutions and figures named across source coverage.
Story context
- Category
- Crime
- Location
- Kozhikode, India
- Sources analysed
- 2
- Last analysed
- 16 Oct 2026
- Key entities
- QR codeLakhIndian rupeeKozhikodeOlavannaNyayaPolice stationPress Trust of IndiaNorth IndiaToll roadRajputFraud