Innocent individuals pay up to escape harassment
Imagine being totally innocent of an offence as well as the rage that can occur when you have to pay Rs 2,000 as bribe to escape punishment for it.
This horrible experience was encountered by our respondent from Bangalore. Accompanied by his wife and brother, he was returning by car to Bangalore from Calicut (Kerala). They had a relaxing drive on the highway until the vehicle entered City limits. The incessant traffic had almost brought the car to a standstill. Suddenly, an auto emerged from nowhere and rammed into the vehicle. .
The auto driver, the perpetrator of the accident, started abusing and harassing the family. The respondent then decided to file a case against him. However, on reaching the station, he got the shock of his life when he realised the local auto union had already filed a case against him. As a result, his car keys were confiscated from him at the station.
Then followed two visits to the station and payment of bribe to cops of various levels. He was first asked to pay Rs 10,000 to the autodriver towards repairs, which the respondent flatly refused. Finally, the sub-inspector brought down the amount to Rs 1,000. Next, he was made to contact cops manning various desks to get his keys back.A bribe of Rs.100 at each of the desks and Rs700at the station helped him get his car back. To read at length about his nightmare, visit: http://ipaidabribe.com/bribe-central/indicted-false-case)
May be, a nexus exists between cops and auto drivers to target those in cars, as they are assumed to be wealthy.
By Manishka Soorya