• I Paid A Bribe
• 14 years ago
• 3886 views

Supritendent of Customs asked for bribe

• Customs, Excise and Service Tax
• Customs Clearance of Import Shipment
• Paid INR 2,500

Yes, I paid.

I had a small item that I bought on eBay, approx 10k. It was held at Bangalore customs without informing me anything. I myself went there and had to track down that it was held there.

The officer told me that I need to pay tax. He asked, "how did you buy something? Do you have import license ? Do you have blah blah number ?"
I asked him how much of tax is to be paid. He said there'll be a 50-75% charge (tax + fine). I said I am willing to pay (it'd come down to around 8k)

That's when his proposition came in. He asked me to pay him 2.5k in cash and just write a letter that it was a gift item sent to me. A deal I couldn't reject.