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ED searches 14 premises across seven states in NHAI toll fraud probe
The Enforcement Directorate conducted searches at 14 premises across seven states and Union territories on Wednesday as part of a money laundering investigation into fraudulent toll collection at NHAI plazas. The action followed the agency's cognisance of two police FIRs alleging use of unauthorised software to divert toll collections.
By Tertius News AI Desk2 distinct · 5 mastheads · 5 articlesVersion 5Coverage Published
ED searches 14 premises across seven states in NHAI toll fraud probe
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches at about 14 premises across multiple states on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, in connection with a money laundering investigation linked to alleged fraudulent toll collection at various National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) plazas, officials said.
The premises were located in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi-NCR and West Bengal, according to ED officials.
The action was launched under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act after the central agency took cognisance of two police FIRs, officials said. According to ED sources, the searches were carried out under Section 17 of the Act.
The investigation stems from an FIR dated January 22, 2025, and an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) dated May 19, 2025, ED sources said.
The FIRs allege the use of unauthorised software applications for generating toll receipts and the diversion of toll collections outside the official accounting mechanism, officials said. Forensic examination and NHAI records have corroborated the deployment of such software, ED officials said.
The searches were aimed at recovering digital and documentary evidence, identifying beneficiaries and tracing proceeds of crime, officials said.
The ED has not disclosed the names of people, entities or premises being searched, or the quantum of toll revenue allegedly diverted.
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Framing: Emphasizes the ED's raids across multiple states in relation to a fraud case involving NHAI toll plaza collection — Measured and procedural
Facts Included:
The Enforcement Directorate conducted searches in multiple states on Wednesday
Searches were linked to a money laundering investigation into fraudulent toll collection at NHAI plazas
About 14 premises in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi-NCR and West Bengal were searched
Action was under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act after the ED took cognisance of two police FIRs
FIRs allege use of unauthorised software applications for generating toll receipts and diversion of toll collections outside official accounting mechanism
Forensic examination and NHAI records corroborated deployment of such software, ED officials said
Searches aim at recovering digital and documentary evidence, identifying beneficiaries and tracing proceeds of crime
Framing: Emphasizes the ED's search actions across states in a fraudulent toll collection case.
Facts Included:
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted search operations on Wednesday across Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi NCR and West Bengal.
A total of 14 premises were searched under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, per ED sources.
The investigation arose from an FIR dated January ️22, ️2025 and an ECIR dated May ️19, ️2025.
The case involves alleged use of unauthorised software applications for generating unauthorised toll receipts and diverting toll collections outside the official accounting mechanism.
Forensic examinationand NHAI records have corroborated deployment of such software, per sources.
Framing: Emphasizes the nationwide scope of the ED raids in connection with a toll plaza collection fraud case
Facts Included:
ED conducted searches on Wednesday (September 2, 2026) in multiple states
Searches covered about 14 premises in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi-NCR and West Bengal
Action was launched under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act after the central agency took cognisance of two police FIRs
FIRs allege use of unauthorised software applications for generating toll receipts and 'diversion' of toll collections outside the official accounting mechanism
Forensic examination and NHAI records have corroborated deployment of such software, ED officials said
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Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status is Contested when two claims on this page negate each other; otherwise it counts the distinct outlets we found asserting that specific claim — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.
Claim
Confidence
Status
ClaimThe Enforcement Directorate conducted searches on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, in multiple states as part of a money laundering investigation linked to fraudulent toll collection at NHAI plazas.
ClaimThe searches were linked to a money laundering investigation into fraudulent toll collection at various National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) plazas.
ClaimThe FIRs allege use of unauthorised software applications for generating toll receipts and diversion of toll collections outside the official accounting mechanism.
ClaimThe ED probe has so far revealed the alleged deployment of unauthorised software applications at toll plazas to generate toll receipts outside the authorised system.
2 distinct · 5 mastheads · 5 articles consulted: Daily Excelsior, Greater Kashmir, The New Indian Express, The Tribune, The Hindu — World12 claims extractedVersion 5Written 2026-09-02