Imagine sitting on a train in Kerala while your car rests safely inside your home porch, only to receive an alert that your vehicle has just zipped through a toll plaza thousands of kilometres away in Assam. This bizarre scenario became a reality for Ranjith, a resident of Kakkanad in Kochi, when his phone buzzed with an unexpected transaction notification.
The SMS informed him that ₹125 had been debited from his HDFC FasTag account for crossing the Raha toll plaza in Guwahati, Assam. Ranjith, who was travelling by train from Kottayam at the time, was momentarily struck by panic, wondering if his Toyota Innova had been stolen. However, a quick phone call to his family confirmed that the car was exactly where he had left it—parked securely in his carport. The unauthorised debit occurred on 15 July at 5:14 pm, hinting at a potential technical glitch or a more serious case of cloned licence plates.
How to reclaim wrongfully debited toll money
If you find yourself in a similar situation where your FASTag is debited while your vehicle is parked at home, there are established protocols to get your money back. The Indian Highways Management Company Limited (IHMCL), operating under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, provides specific redressal mechanisms for affected commuters.
Firstly, you can immediately report wrongful deductions by calling the dedicated national toll-free helpline at 1033. Alternatively, you can file a formal complaint by emailing the details of the transaction to falsededuction@ihmcl.com to initiate a chargeback process.
Secondly, you must lodge a dispute directly with the issuer bank linked to your FASTag. For instance, in Ranjith’s case, this would be HDFC Bank. You can raise a dispute through the bank’s customer portal, mobile application, or customer service helpline. The concessionaire will then verify the transaction using CCTV footage from the respective toll plaza. If the vehicle captured in the footage does not match yours, the wrongly debited amount will be refunded to your account.
Heavy fines of up to ₹1 lakh for negligent toll operators
To safeguard the rights of commuters and ensure accountability, the government has implemented strict regulations against negligent toll agencies. Operators who erroneously or double-charge commuters without proper validation face severe penalties.
Under the current guidelines, toll agencies can be penalised up to ₹1 lakh for wrongful deductions. This hefty fine is aimed at forcing toll companies to maintain accurate systems and prevent harassment of vehicle owners. Commuters are advised to closely monitor transaction alerts on their mobile phones and promptly report any discrepancies to prevent financial losses.
