Comment Pieces

Poll Analysis | A Threat is All They Need to Extort Money

“The revenue inspector threatened to send an adverse report on the purchase and confiscate the agricultural land. So, we paid him Rs. 10,000”

“We did not oblige them. Now we have received a demand note from the VAT audit, which is many times greater than the amount we were asked to pay as bribe” 

“He threatened me to pay at least Rs. 500 failing which, my bike would be seized by them” 

"He threatened that he will check each corner of the baggage and can delay me for at least 2 hours… Lastly I had to pay 5 Bahrain dinars to escape the situation." 

See a common thread that ties these reports together? Whether it is a traffic policeman who catches you violating a traffic rule or it is a custom official at an airport checking your luggage; an opportunity to fleece commoners is always lurking in their minds. Going by the reports we have received on our website, a majority of the complainants confess to have paid bribes demanded by officials who take advantage of the situation depending on its urgency or relevance. Failing which, they are threatened with consequences that the complainants obviously wouldn’t want to be caught in.

A citizen from New Delhi reported an incident involving a traffic policeman who bullied him using a preposterous excuse. He demanded the citizen to pay a bribe of Rs.200 for carrying goods in the backseat of his car. Refusing which, the policeman started calling him names and said he'll have him shot in an encounter. 

I Paid a Bribe conducted a poll asking its readers, “Have you been threatened when you refused to pay a bribe?”  76% of the total voters admit to have been threatened with consequences when they refused to give in to the unlawful demands of officials and policemen whereas the remaining 24% have been fortunate to have never encountered such a situation.

Take a look at these documents that could help you avoid paying a bribe if you ever chance upon such a situation. Officials will be discouraged from indulging in such practises only when citizens learn to never drop their guard when faced by unlawful demands or empty threats.

·         How to avail Police Protection has information that can be used if an individual faces any threat from any individual or a group of people  

·         How To Seek Protection against Police Threat has information that can used if threat is from a police