- I Paid A Bribe
- 13 years ago
- 1799 views
"khush khabari hai...kuch to banta hai...chai pani"
- Police
- Police Verification for Passport
- Paid INR 500
It was a Sunday evening, and I didn't even know that the police would actually come home for passport verification on a weekend. At sometime around 4pm, a police officer rang the bell and stated the purpose of his visit. Some verifications, signatures and forms later, I thought that the process was done.
Out of politeness, I asked him if he'd like to have some water, which he did. And he kept sitting. I didn't understand what the reason till a minute or so later, when he spoke and said "all done hai sirji. aapka passport ho jayega. khush khabar hai aapke liye to, foreign ghoomoge. humara bhi kuch to banta hai". I was shocked and aghast at the outright and to-the-face nonchalant way in which he spoke these words.
I smiled, and asked him what he meant. Nonchalantly, he asked for some money. When I said that it was his job and that he shouldn’t be seeking a bribe, he simply said “dekh lo ji. passport nahin chahiye hai aapko, lagta hai. Kuch pane ke liye dena to parta hai ji”
Not knowing what to do, and simply to avoid any issues with the passport, I gave in. He shook my hand, smiled and congratulated me again...before marching on to the next destination.