From Sohrab Goth to Sabzi Mandi, Karachi police have set up check posts but while they are checking the movement of people they are also skimming off them.
Any vehicle transporting vegetables can’t pass without paying up. We did a ‘sting operation’ by convincing one vegetable transporter to let us ride along.
It was stopped at two points and the driver had to give the police money to pass. Once we had taken a video as evidence, a SAMAA team reached the spot. This is what happened next:
The police saw the DSNG arriving and moved their mobile units.
Some policemen ran into the bushes to hide.
“What did you take the money for,” we asked the policeman.
“We never took money,” he said.
“We just took a video of you doing it.”
“Mine?! No, I never did it,” he said.
We went to another policeman and asked him why the police were skimming off the vehicles. When we showed them the video evidence they asked for forgiveness.
At another check post it was the same exchange.
“I’m just asking you, should one take money while at a check post,” we said. The policeman said no. We showed him the video as well.
We also stopped people and asked them if they had been facing this.
“At Chakar hotel they take Rs50,” one man said.
“It’s ten rupees every time they stop you,” said another.
And one man said there were at least five “nakas” on his route and he was charged Rs50 each time one way and on the way back, “don’t ask, talk about thousand-rupee notes.”
from SAMAA https://ift.tt/3bCioc0
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