KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 26
A tipper driver landed in jail after he allegedly attempted to bribe an on-duty traffic policeman in Koteshwor yesterday when the cop initiated action against him for driving under the influence.
According to Metropolitan Traffic Police Division, Arjun Tamang, 43, of Dhading had offered Rs 1,400 in bribe to police constable Mukesh Prasad Kushwaha to avoid action for violating traffic rules under the Motor Vehicle and Transport Management Act.
The tipper driver inserted the cash in the blue book and gave it to the cop after the law enforcement official stopped him during security checking.
Instead of accepting the bribe, constable Kushwaha arrested Tamang and handed him over to Metropolitan Police Circle, Baneshwor, for further action.
According to data released by MTPD, traffic cops arrested 166 drivers and riders in the fiscal 2019-20 and 165 in 2020-21 for their bid to influence on-duty cops by offering bribe with the hope of getting off the hook. Those police personnel who were offered bribe during the period were inspectors, sub-inspectors, assistant sub-inspectors, head constables and constables. Last week, MTPD had honoured 24 cops, including Inspector Rabindra Kumar Shrestha for enforcing traffic rules honestly and booking offenders without being influenced by bribe money in last fiscal.
"Traffic police have been conducting a crackdown on vehicle drivers and bike riders who offer bribe to police personnel under its campaign of zero-tolerance against corruption," said Senior Superintendent of Police Janak Bhattarai, MTPD in-charge. "Anyone who tries to serve his/her vested interest by influencing police personnel will be arrested outright," he warned.
The drivers and riders involved in trying to get undue favour of on-duty cops are produced before the concerned district administration offices for legal action under the Some Public (Crime and Punishment) Act on the charge of trying to get undue benefit from on-duty police officials. They are released by the DAO on bail of up to Rs 10,000. MTPD informed that the crackdown aimed to ensure strict adherence to the rule and discourage drivers and on-duty police officers from offering and receiving bribe.
Traffic cops are authorised to arrest and send offenders to custody for necessary action.
The common forms of traffic rule violations include disregard for lane discipline and traffic signals, use of mobile phone while driving, parking vehicles in the no-parking zone, seat belt infraction, driving under the influence, mechanical modification of bikes, overloading vehicles, and violation of one-way traffic rule.
A version of this article appears in the print on September 27 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
