Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh): Two men were arrested for creating ruckus and opening fire at a toll plaza on Gwalior-Bhind highway as reported on Friday. The accused were apparently angry over the poor condition of roads and threatened the toll staff to either stop charging public or get the government build six-lane highway.
According to information, the incident occurred at the Baretha toll plaza and the pistol used in the firing was also recovered.
Earlier, the Gwalior SSP had announced a reward of ₹10k each for information leading to their arrest.
The main accused is a resident of Bhind in Madhya Pradesh, while his associate, who was riding the bullet motorcycle, is from Tilda village in Ghazipur of Uttar Pradesh.
Accused were angry over Highway's poor condition
According to police, the rwo accused were angry over the poor condition of the Gwalior-Bhind highway and frequent road accidents on the stretch.
A retired army man who recently died in a road accident was known to them. They had also reportedly argued with toll staff earlier.
Police arrested both accused from a hotel near Seven Number Chauraha in Morar. A pistol, bullets and a helmet were recovered from them.
The incident took place on Monday when the two suddenly started firing at the Baretha toll plaza. The sound of gunshots created panic and toll employees were seen running for safety.
The accused also threw a handwritten note at the toll plaza. The note read, “Either build the highway or remove the toll.”
It mentioned rising accidents and deaths on the 80-km stretch between Bhind and Gwalior. Referring to the death of a man named Akash Bhadoria, the note warned that more lives should not be lost.
It also threatened stronger action if highway construction did not begin soon and accused the government and public representatives of negligence.
