Paying for what you own
“It's nearly 6 months now, still we are struggling to release the personal effect cargo from the Chennai customs. And the good news is, the customs officer doubled his bribe from Rs.10,000 to Rs.20,000 now. If you want your items, pay us get them, otherwise we will be auctioning them.”
“Import goods at your own risk” should be the new tag line the Indian customs department ought to adopt. The purpose of a service offered by the customs department is to transport personal belongings of Indians moving back to the country for ‘free’(apparently) . In reality, you pay a hefty bribe to recover what rightfully belongs to you. Quite ironical, eh?
This corrupt customs officer in Chennai refuses to release goods transported by the respondent unless a bribe of Rs.20000 is paid to him. Demanding and accepting bribes seems to have become a custom(ary) affair for him.