Youth accuses Bengaluru police of extortion and harassment: Report

A youth from Himachal Pradesh has alleged that Bengaluru police on night beat extorted ₹2,500 from him after planting a packet of marijuana in his bag.

Published on: Jan 13, 2023, 14:28:53 IST

By Yamini C S | Edited by Chandrashekar Srinivasan

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A youth from Himachal Pradesh has accused Bengaluru police of extortion and harassment in a viral Twitter thread, prompting authorities to launch an enquiry. Vaibhav Patil, a native of Himachal Pradesh, had moved to Bengaluru six months ago. The incident happened as he was returning home after working a night shift at a private firm, The Indian Express reported.

Bengaluru police arrested a 20-year-old engineering student for his tweet about bombing the Kempegowda International Airport. (Representative use) (HT_PRINT)

Patil alleged that two police officers stopped him in the road at around 4 am on Wednesday and questioned him, to which he cooperated. The officers began searching his bag and “planted” a packet of marijuana in it, which they used to extorted money from him, Patil claimed.

Threatening to file a narcotics case on him, the officers allegedly pushed him to admit that he consumed ganja, saying that his arrest would win both of them a reward of ₹15,000 each. Patil was let go after he handed over the ₹2,500 he had on him, the report added.

“Hi, I am Vaibhav Patil from Himachal Pradesh and since the day I landed in Bangalore about 6 months ago, I have faced nothing but discrimination,” Patil's tweet read.

Responding to his now deleted tweets, DCP C K Baba said, “Dear Vaibhav. We understand that you are worried and scared. Request you to DM your details and meet me at my office ASAP, and be assured that we will initiate action.. You can reach me."

The DCP told Hindustan Times that the police were able to reach him and that an enquiry is on-going.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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