[svsantosh]

1) You could be conned by fakes. probable in todays world!
2) Do you remember their faces, vehicle#, anything? You could write a letter to commisioner, higher ups. I am hoping at least the top ranks isnt so cheap!

[anekho]

Try writing about this incident on the Chennai Police facebook page. Don't know if they'll respond though.

[jp2u]

Originally Posted by rajanprash

One bunch of cops caught me at nearly 3 km from my house.

Sorry for the experience, but one cannot help it. can you please tell us, exactly where this happened, so that rest of Chennai people can avoid that road during night.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by smartcat

Sometimes I wonder if it makes sense to NOT stop anywhere past midnight - who knows if those guys were real cops or conmen in a fancy dress.

I sincerely follow this after 12pm. Only stop if its a full team with barricades and other cars/trucks also stopped. If its just me they are stopping on a lonely stretch then I would not stop. Let them send the challan home if I have broken a rule or follow me all the way home. Either of the two is ok with me in this case.

[vasanthn21]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

I sincerely follow this after 12pm. Only stop if its a full team with barricades and other cars/trucks also stopped. If its just me they are stopping on a lonely stretch then I would not stop. Let them send the challan home if I have broken a rule or follow me all the way home. Either of the two is ok with me in this case.

whoa! Is this a good thing to do? Will it not allow the cops to file additional cases (may be even criminal - P.S: I have minimal knowledge of such things). I definitely wouldn't want a criminal case on my name!

[DRIVE_ADDICT]

Yes if Cops want to make money out of you, they can take it from you anyways.

One of the auto driver told me that he gave as low as 5/- Rs as bribe to Cops.

We need to think of one thing here, If govt. pay them with decent salary will they (majority of Cops) behaves the same?. (I heard that they had very poor pay scale, anyone exactly knows the figure?). Though i'am not saying what they were doing is right, but the power is in their hands and they were paid very low, what will they do?

[srishiva]

Its done now. Cant do anything. My sympathies with my fellow countrymen. Guess you need to start a one button recorder whenever you deal with the police. Yes, since they are the lawmen, they will know umpteen ways to blackmail us.

Regarding your comment about good cops who check you and dont behave that way, it happens everyday. They are just cops. I have seen two wheelers, autos stopped while returning from office late at night, but they dont usually stop personal cars. Fridays and Saturdays are different during late nights.

[nozzlering]

Originally Posted by vasanthn21

whoa! Is this a good thing to do? Will it not allow the cops to file additional cases (may be even criminal - P.S: I have minimal knowledge of such things). I definitely wouldn't want a criminal case on my name!

There's no definite rule for such situations. Just follow your instincts. Do what you feel would be safest for your family. Last night I was returning from Orion Mall with my family. When I reached Sankey tank (Chowdaiah road), I saw 2 policemen (1 in traffis police uniform, other wearing jacket) was stopping cars (around 11pm). He stopped me. I rolled down my window a bit. He asked me whether I am drunk. I said NO. He asked me to breathe on his face!! No breathe analyser.. He again asked me, haven't you taken drinks!! Not even little. I again said NO.
To me he seemed to be drunk.
I smiled, rolled up my window, and drove on. I feel they were looking for a BAKRA. Maybe someone driving alone.

[gjiyap1]

Indeed a sad incident rajanprash. And as few others quoted - there are instances here & there. let us hope - these are only exceptions & does not become regular.

I personally follow few best-practices (to avoid such situations):
- Do not travel late. If it is late, better stay overnight & travel in the morning. This helps - 1) you not driving in the odd hour 2) have a beautiful morning drive.
- If you have to drive (can't stay or say late night movie), be accompanied by a bunch of people. Alone is clear no-no. 2 is fine. But more the merrier.
- Do not travel on the suspicious route (e.g. ECR in chennai). You tend to get questioned by patrol (for good or bad). It is okie to travel few kms more - with bright lights & frequent vehicle movement (e.g. OMR, GST roads in chennai).
- Last, Travel in a normal speed & day-time driving pattern (even if the road is empty & tempting !). Most of the time - cops do not stop the vehicles - which is just-fine.

Again, it is my personal experience and opinion. Have travelled many a times in the odd hour (thanks to work/social life) and hardly been stopped by the cops.

Cheers,
Jay.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by vasanthn21

whoa! Is this a good thing to do? Will it not allow the cops to file additional cases (may be even criminal - P.S: I have minimal knowledge of such things). I definitely wouldn't want a criminal case on my name!

No as I said above it depends upon what kind of a set up is there. You will rarely find a lone cop stopping/checking offenders in the night just randomly. I have mostly never seen it. Its always a full team of 3-5 cops with a barricade, a police vehicle already parked and some other equipment. Also they would not be standing at a very lonely deserted spot. Infact they would want to intercept maximum number of vehicles possible right? So most of the times you would find them on well lit main roads. Atleast this is what I have seen in Delhi and Bangalore( stayed there for 6 years).

A lone cop on a bike or standing on the roadside is a strict no no for me. Ofcourse if there are already other private cars parked/stopped then you may not worry.

Something similar happened with me some years ago. All of us had gone to a wedding and while coming back we had to cross this slightly shoddy area. There was this guy in plain clothes but the outfit resembled that of a cop more or less and waved us to stop. We stopped and the guy came on the driver side window and asked my dad to come out. His breath smelled of alcohol and somehow my dad found it fishy and started the car. This guy tried to snatch the car keys but we were able to get the car moving and then never looked back. I didn't see him following or anything so figured it may have been a set up and we were lucky.

[Altocumulus]

Originally Posted by DRIVE_ADDICT

Though i'am not saying what they were doing is right, but the power is in their hands and they were paid very low, what will they do?

IMO if money is their main issue they shouldn't join the police. It is quite well known that they will get minimal salary. These kind of people become cops so that they can extort money from innocent people and also by blackmailing people at fault for larger sums of money.

I always make sure I take their names. If they don't agree to give that, I don't hand over any documents.

[nozzlering]

Originally Posted by Altocumulus

IMO if money is their main issue they shouldn't join the police. It is quite well known that they will get minimal salary. These kind of people become cops so that they can extort money from innocent people and also by blackmailing people at fault for larger sums of money.

I always make sure I take their names. If they don't agree to give that, I don't hand over any documents.

For the majority in India, Employment is not by choice. They try to grab what ever is available, expecially government job. And its true that police job is highly underpaid. But that doesn't entitle cops to follow unethical practices. There are good ones and there are bad ones. Believe me there are very few who are bad. Unfortunately most of the times, we deal with bad ones

IMO, if you diligently follow, traffic rules, you are minimising the chances of geting caught. How many of us fulfill this criteria!!??

[suhaas307]

Oh, the blood boils.

Sometimes I wonder, if these cops are actually really interested in doing their duty, or just interested in making a quick buck. They will look for every reason they can to extort money from you.

In fact, they expect you to give them a tip, for the work they're doing. They believe, just like other criminals, that it's the duty of the well-off to share their wealth with the not-so-fortunate.

And you can't really blame them. They get paid a pittance, and this drives them to take such measures. It's the whole system that's in disarray. The dark, dingy underbelly of our country shields even those who are supposed to protect you.

What can we do in such situations? Well, if you're brave enough, make sure you get one of those spy-pen camera thingies. And use it for such purposes. Expose them. Of course, be ready to deal with a life full of threats after that. Trying to achieve something for the good, for society, often has its drawbacks. Some sacrifices may have to be made.

The other thing one can do. Hope and pray you never get tangled in the web at all. Unfortunately, our roll will be called some day.

Just forget about it and move on, Sir. It's one of those things we've got to deal with. Life is never fair.

I'm sorry to hear that you were on the receiving end of this ordeal.

[ajman28]

This could have happened to anyone of us! And it's sure a scary experience.

Well before we begin the cop-bashing, I just wanted to put in my views too. These guys could have been fake cops (thugs dressed up in cop uniforms). Chennai being the heart of kollywood, am sure a good cop uniform will be easily available in the market! I remember reading a case of a couple getting duped of some 50 grand by a fake cop a few months back in Chennai.

My question is, how can one identify fake cops? Other than the uniforms, are there any other critical identification material which a cop should carry?

[DRIVE_ADDICT]

Originally Posted by Altocumulus

IMO if money is their main issue they shouldn't join the police.

So do you think that they joined to serve the country, Half of them were not. Sadly they do "pay" to get job, so once they got job they want public to "pay" them back. I think Govt. should pay decently for cops and jawans, thats one of the best way to keep the law and order under control.