BENGALURU: Taking a bribe cost a traffic head constable dearly as the act was secretly captured on a phone and circulated widely that it eventually came to the notice of senior traffic officials.
Head constable Puttaswamy attached to Kamakshipalya Traffic Police, was caught on video taking a bribe from a two-wheeler rider, flagged down ostensibly for not wearing a helmet, at Sumanahalli junction. Possibly shot by the pillion rider, the video shows the constable trying to snatch the money taken out of the wallet of the rider.
The video was uploaded on Facebook and circulated on WhatsApp and received a lot of views and predictably condemnation. The Facebook post was noticed by BJP leader Suresh Kumar, who forwarded it to DCP Traffic (West) Girish S.
When Puttaswamy realised that the video had been posted on social networking sites, he informed the DCP that the person he took money from was a friend and was not a bribe. He was then asked to produce the friend in the DCP’s office.
Meanwhile, as there was no complainant in this case, the police transcribed the conversation in the video and determined that it was clear case of taking a bribe.
“We gave him time to produce the person before us and he said he would do so. But it has been several hours and he has not done so and hence we have suspended him,” Girish said.
The swift action drew appreciation from Suresh Kumar who posted the video on his FB page and commended the traffic police.