 "Corruption, bribe")
In a troubling trend, corrupt government officials in Gujarat are embracing what seems like an oxymoron: Empathy in corruption. This innovative yet nefarious approach has gained traction among dishonest officials in the state who, in a twist of irony, are now showing a ‘considerate’ side when extorting bribes from citizens, as reported by the Gujarat Anti-corruption Bureau.
Sensing the financial strain their exorbitant demands may impose on vulnerable individuals, these officials have adopted a strategy reminiscent of bank loans, allowing payments to be made in equated monthly instalments rather than demanding a lump sum.
Illustrating this alarming phenomenon are several recent cases that shed light on the extent of this insidious practice:
In March, a staggering bribe of Rs 21 lakh was demanded in a bogus billing scam related to SGST. However, rather than insisting on a lump sum, the amount was broken down into nine EMIs of Rs 2 lakh each and one of Rs 1 lakh, ostensibly to alleviate the burden on the payer, reported The Times of India.
Similarly, on April 4, a deputy sarpanch and taluka panchayat member in Surat demanded an Rs 85,000 bribe for levelling a villager’s farm. Recognising the financial strain on the villager, the accused proposed an EMI option of Rs 35,000 upfront, with the remainder to be paid in three equal instalments.
More recently, two policemen absconded with Rs 4 lakh bribe they had extorted from a resident of Sabarkantha in Gujarat. This sum was merely the first instalment of a total of Rs 10 lakh demanded by the corrupt officers.
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In another instance, a cybercrime police official divided the Rs 10 lakh bribe he demanded into four manageable instalments.
Officials exploit the vulnerable for bribes
According to officials from the state Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), this practice is on the rise, with ten cases reported just this year.
“A person unable to afford to buy a house, car or a valuable by making full payments avails a loan on EMIs. Corrupt officials are applying the same practice to bribes now,” a senior ACB officer said.
The modus operandi of these officials involves exploiting individuals either entangled in criminal investigations or seeking access to government welfare schemes, demanding hefty bribes that exceed their financial capacity. “Since the person is usually poor and in a vulnerable situation, he or she cannot pay the entire bribe upfront,” the officer added.
Speaking about the challenges in combating this pervasive corruption, Shamsher Singh, director of ACB, Gujarat, and DGP (Law and Order) said, “The ACB can only investigate cases reported to us after victims have made initial payments.”
Surge in corruption cases in Gujarat
A report released in March 2023 highlighted a concerning trend of corruption escalation in Gujarat. According to the report, there was a notable 16.5 per cent increase in the number of bribery cases reported by the ACB of the Gujarat Police in both 2021 and 2022.
According to the Indian Express, the count of bribery cases escalated from 145 in 2021 to 169 in 2022, with the cumulative monetary value involved in these cases amounting to Rs 2.23 crore. Particularly alarming is the revelation that during this period, 86 personnel from the Gujarat Police were implicated in bribery cases.
In 2023, the Gujarat Police emerged as the department with the highest reported instances of bribery for the fifth consecutive year since 2019.
What does the law say?
The Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 unequivocally stipulates 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 for such offences encompass imprisonment ranging from three to seven years, alongside the imposition of an unlimited fine.
