A trainee constable with the Police Transport Organisation (PTO) was arrested by the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) police for stealing at least 10 FASTags issued for official police vehicles and illegally leasing them to private cab drivers for monetary gain. The accused, Nissar Ahmed, 30, a resident of Yakutpura, was taken into custody late on Sunday (May 18), RGIA police inspector K. Balaraju confirmed.

The fraud came to light when a private vehicle using a FASTag registered under a police exemption was flagged off at a toll gate on the Outer Ring Road (ORR), raising suspicion. “Nissar had been handing over the FASTags to airport cab drivers and charging them between ₹8,000 and ₹10,000 per tag each month,” said the official.

A probe was initiated following a complaint, which revealed that Nissar had stolen at least 10 FASTags from police vehicles, had previously served as a home guard at the PTO office in Petlaburj. He was undergoing constable training in Medchal at the time of his arrest.

Out of the 10 FASTags, seven had already been deactivated, while three were still in use. According to the official, Nissar continued to collect around ₹2,000 per tag monthly from the drivers who were actively using them. Two of those drivers have been identified, and efforts are being made to arrest them.