- I Paid A Bribe
- 14 years ago
- 2174 views
Goan cops harassment
- Police
- Traffic Violations
- Paid INR 2,000
On a bike in Goa, at around 7 pm on the Assagaon - Parra road which is usually deserted and has little traffic, I was riding back home which is about 10 minutes from this location, with my female friend when I was flagged down by two cops on a motorbike. I think they were from the Anjuna Police Station.
First they wanted to know who my friend was and the question was asked in a manner that didn't make either her or me very comfortable. Then he wanted to see my license - once he saw that it was a New Delhi license, I knew that the only way out would be if I paid him a bribe. We were not speeding or violating any traffic rules. As is the case in these situations, he looked around to see if he could find something to book us on.
Finally, he claimed that we were drinking and driving - which we denied (it was 7pm). I said we were on our way home from the beach, which was the truth.
Finally, when we couldn't convince him that we were not in anyway inebriated, he said he would charge us for possession of drugs if we didn't pay him. To avoid going to a cops station and the rigmarole of trying to argue our way out of it, we both felt it would be better if we paid him off and got on with our drive home. I ended up giving him 1000 rupees because I only had Rs. 1000 notes in my wallet having just taken out cash at an ATM. Then the other cop with hiim also wanted a simmilar bribe so I ended up paying them both Rs. 1000 each. The usual bribe for a Goan cop isn't more than a few hundred rupees. But seeing that I was in a lonely stretch, with a girl who they were checking out from time to time, I didn't feel like arguing as I would have normally.
Goan cops arbitrarily pull people over on streets and erect barricades to harass tourists and foreigners. Their claim that they are getting rid of drugs is hollow as I have known instances when they have found drugs then returned them after payment of a bribe. I would be very interested to see how many real cases are booked as a result of their policing.