Gurugram traffic cop held for asking Rs 500 bribe

A traffic police constable was arrested and sent to jail on Tuesday for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 500 from a Bhiwani resident, who was driving in the wrong lane, said police.

After paying the ‘bribe’ to the policeman, the Bhiwani resident returned and asked the police to issue him a challan (ticket) instead, but the challan machine was not functional, alleged the complainant.

Police said the incident took place on Monday between 6pm and 7pm at Bristol Chowk near DLF phase 1 when Nitin Goyal, who owns a shop in Bhiwani, was returning from a pilgrimage in Govardhan, Mathura, and had taken a detour at Gurugram to drop his uncle.

A traffic constable, deputed at Bristol chowk (East Zone), stopped Goyal when his car entered a lane from wrong side.

Goyal said he pleaded with the constable to let him off with a warning, but the police official allegedly demanded ₹500 and threatened to issue a challan of Rs 1,100 if the ‘bribe’ was not paid.

“I told the official that I do not have enough money. I tried to haggle by offering Rs 200, but later settled for Rs 500. After consulting with a family member, I returned to the spot and told the police official to take additional Rs 600 and issue a challan to me,” said Goyal.