Taking bribe is both crime and cruelty but corrupt government officials in Gujarat have found a kinder way to extort people so that the financial pressure on the victims is lessened as the amount demanded has the option of being paid in monthly instalments now.
According to a Times of India report, the practice of taking bribe money in EMIs is gaining popularity in the state and the Gujarat Anti-Corruption Bureau said 10 such cases have already been reported this year alone.
The report said that in March, a bribe of Rs 21 lakh was demanded in a GST bogus billing scam, structured into 10 instalments of Rs 2 lakh each and one instalment of Rs 1 lakh to avoid the burden of a lump-sum payment. On 4 April, a deputy sarpanch in Surat demanded Rs 85,000 to level a villager’s farm.
This was then converted to EMIs with Rs 35,000 upfront, and the balance in three equal instalments. Ironically, the corrupt cops are also implementing this modus operandi to get their share of the brides.
Spike in corruption in Gujarat
In March 2023, a report said that in 2022 and 2021 there was a 16.5 per cent spike in the number of bribery cases registered by the Anti-Corruption Bureau of the Gujarat Police.
According to an Indian Express report, the number of bribery cases registered in 2021 was 145 and in 2022, the cases rose to 169. The total money involved in these bribery cases was Rs 2.23 crore. What is alarming is that during this period, there were bribery cases lodged against 86 personnel of the Gujarat Police during this period.
In 2023, the Gujarat Police topped the chart of government departments in taking bribes for the fifth consecutive year since 2019.
What the law says
The Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 makes it clear that — “Accepting, obtaining, attempting to obtain, or agreeing to accept (personally or inducing another public servant) an “undue advantage” with the intention to perform a public duty improperly or dishonestly, or refrain from performing a public duty” — is an offence.
The penalties include imprisonment between three and seven years and unlimited fine.
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Now there is an EMI facility in corruption! Corrupt Gujarat officials display ‘kind-hearted’ avatar
