EXCLUSIVE » Another complainant from whom a woman constable extorted R500 comes forward to share details with mid-day even as top brass crack down on the scam
The hawker whose QR code was scanned to pay the bribe
Following mid-day’s exposé on traffic cops taking bribes from the citizens caught for breaking traffic rules at L T Road in Borivli West, a victim who was caught in a similar fashion has come forward to give her account of a traffic cop taking bribes. The woman recounted how a female traffic cop threatened to seize her vehicle and demanded a Rs 8,000 fine for riding on the wrong side and for previous pending fines. Additionally, the constable asked the woman to pay her Rs 500, which she did using a hawker’s QR code for online payment. The woman is urging the authorities to return her money and immediately suspend the corrupt police officers.
MID-DAY also exclusively obtained the scanner QR Code of the hawker named Jayaa Dinesh Janiya who sells plastic bags near the location. The victim, who is a resident of Gujarat and was visiting her father in Mumbai for Diwali, was caught with her brother on a scooter when they had gone to buy sweets. They were intercepted by a female traffic police officer after entering L T Road, which is only permitted for BEST buses and ambulances.
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Reporter Shirish Vaktania, posing as a traffic violator, interacts with PSI Dulam at Borivli West on Friday
On Sunday, the Borivli traffic police recorded statements of the minor boy and his mother, as well as identified all the hawkers roped in by the traffic police for collecting bribes. Traffic authorities are also tracking down all victims who paid bribes to the hawkers on the instructions of the traffic police, including PSI Dulam and other female constables.
Speaking with mid-day, the victim explained, “A few days ago, I came to Mumbai to celebrate Diwali at my father's residence in Dahisar. On Friday, my brother and I went to buy sweets from Borivli West on his scooty. We were unaware that bikes were not allowed on this route on L T Road. A female constable stopped us, checked for previous fines and found a pending fine of Rs 2500. She informed me that the fine for entering the wrong lane, where only ambulances and BEST buses are allowed, is Rs 5,000, and that an additional Rs 500 would have to be paid for not having a driving license. So, the total fine amounted to R8,000. I explained that we had forgotten the license at home and didn't have that much money.”
According to the woman, after a prolonged argument, the constable offered to settle for Rs 500. “I told her we didn't have cash and she directed me to pay through a QR code with a hawker located behind the subway. The woman constable accompanied me, and I used the scanner to pay Rs 500 to the hawker. She then told us to go. I asked for a receipt, but they told me that if I wanted one, I would have to pay the full R8,000 fine. We left the scene after paying R500, which indirectly went to the woman constable through the hawker,” she told mid-day.
Proof of the transaction made between the victim and hawker
The hawker identified as Jayaa Dinesh Janiya who sells plastic bags outside Borivli West railway station subway had her statement recorded by the Borivli police on Friday. Sources informed mid-day that PSI Dulam's statement was also recorded by the traffic police. In his defence, he explained, “Many people are not paying their fines. The challan machine does not have the capability to collect a single fine if the violator has pending fines. Moreover, many people do not carry cash or cards. For these reasons, officials resorted to using hawkers for offenders to transfer money to the hawker's account and pay fines while receiving a receipt.”
However, during our investigation, mid-day found that the female traffic constable did not issue any challan against the ‘fine’ collected from the victim who had paid Rs 500 to the hawker based on her instructions. mid-day also obtained records of previous fines for traffic rule violations by the woman's brother for riding without a helmet (amounting to Rs 2,000) and a fine of Rs 1500 for a violation on January 13, 2023. However, there was no record of any fines related to the incident involving the female constable on Friday.
Nov 3
Day victim was made to pay bribe
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