- Bribe Fighter
- 13 years ago
- 1938 views
Attempt to extort money from immigration official at Amritsar internaional airport.
I had a special visa on my UK passport that allowed me to make multiple journeys in and out of india at short notice. It was not a conventional visa however it was legitimate and had been specially endorsed for multiple entries.
At immigration the officer told me there was an issue with the visa and I was taken to a seperate room. There i was told that the visa was not legitimate (why this was not questioned when i entered the country rather than when i leave astounds me). I was also told that I could pay a 'fine' to get the situation sorted. At this point I refused to speak Hindi and reverted to English only and asked to speak to the senior duty officer.
After about 30 mins they let me go and allowed me to board my flight wihout paying the 'fine'. They told me they were letting me off this time. While I am familiar with indian bribery I was just shocked that immigration officials would do this as it is an issue of national security. What next, will the security officails allow arms on to a plane if you pay the right bribe?