Nearly 13 employees of a toll booth in the district have been booked for allegedly beating up a couple from Nashik and molesting the woman, police said.

The 36-year-old woman and her husband, aged around 40, were travelling to Mumbai on September 7, when they stopped at a toll booth in Padgha village on Mumbai-Nashik highway of the district and paid the toll.

However, the toll collector allegedly kept delaying the issue of receipt to them, Padgha police sub inspector P N Chowdhari said.

When the car driver asked him repeatedly for the receipt, the toll collector got annoyed and he along with other workers present there allegedly beat up the couple. They also allegedly molested the woman and her dress got torn in the melee, the SI said.

The toll booth employees also threatened the couple with dire consequences if they were seen again in the area, he said quoting the complaint filed by the woman on September 9.

Based on the complaint, offences were registered against 13 persons under IPC sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 and 506 (criminal intimidation), he said.

Investigation is on in the matter, police said, adding that no arrest has been made so far.

The toll booth is managed by a well-known contractor.

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