- I Paid A Bribe
- 14 years ago
- 762 views
A Bribe and Parker Pen
- Transport
- New International Driving License
- Paid INR 300
This happened a long time ago, but I thought I should share my story. I went to get my International Driving Permit(IDP), I was told that I need to pay INR 100 for the form, I knew that was not right, when I asked I was told that since I am going to the abroad INR 100 should not be an issue. I avoid arguing, I paid the INR 100 and moved on. The next step was the driving test, a middle aged RTO Officer sat next to me in the car and we went on the driving test, I drove very well and at the end of it I was expecting that I will be given the letter that I can submit to the office upstairs to collect my IDP. The officer instead asked me to which country I was going and why, after some more questions he told me that he has a lot of relatives abroad too and told me that I drive very well and there should not be ay issues wiht the IDP, but he did say that he needed an imported gift. He asked me to bring him the gift and then collect the approval letter. I was a little confused and a little furious of what I was just asked, I spoke to my friend who was with me at the time. My friend suggested that it is better not to fight this and just get him something. We went ot the nearest shop we could find and bought a Parker pen for about INR 200. I then gave the Parker Pen to the officer, who looked happy and give me the letter. That's the story, I hope this helps understand bribing patterns and corruption in public offices.