Ever thought walking on the street after 11 pm would be a punishable offense? As weird as it may sound, that's exactly what happened with a Bengaluru couple.
Bengaluru residents Karthik Patri and his wife were on their way back home at 12:30 am on December 8. The couple was peacefully on their way home when they were stopped by two policemen. The policemen accused the couple of walking on the streets after 11 pm. They also harassed the couple and forced them to pay ₹1000 through the payment app UPI.
A disturbed Mr. Patri took to Twitter to address the incident in a series of 15 tweets. He requested the Bengaluru Commissioner of Police for assistance.
Mr. Patri continued saying that he and his wife were a few meters away from their entrance gate when a Pink Hoysala patrol van stopped by them. Two men in police uniforms asked them to show their ID cards. Despite being shocked by the line of questioning, the couple showed them their Aadhar cards. However, after that, the so-called police confiscated their phones and started asking them personal questions. Even after answering their questions, the couple was subjected to a challan for roaming after 11 pm.
Despite apologizing, the couple demanded the exorbitant sum of ₹3000. Mr. Patri was suspected of whether they were police or pretending to be them. Their behavior escalated towards being very rude as the conversation progressed.
"The more we pleaded, the harsher they became, even threatening to arrest us. It was as if we were stuck in quicksand – the more we struggled, the deeper we sunk. This continued for a long time until the harassment became unbearable. They showed us pictures of convicts and threatened us with dire consequences if we didn’t pay up. I could barely hold my nerve, while my wife was in tears. Perhaps realizing that they had pushed a woman too far and fearing the legal consequences, they changed tack."
Mr. Patri finally agreed to pay ₹1000 out of mental exhaustion. Anoop A Shetty, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru City thanked Mr. Patri for shedding light on the incident and promised stern action to be taken against them.
The two policemen have since been identified as personnel of Sampigehalli police station. They have been suspended with immediate effect and a departmental inquiry will be initiated against them.
Mr. Patri thanked the authorities for their swift and decisive actions.