Midnight Horror in Bengaluru: Couple fine for being out at night

Digital Desk: On Thursday midnight, a couple in Karnataka's Bengaluru was allegedly harassed by officers who compelled them to pay 1,000 through payment app PayTm for 'breaking the law' by wandering on the street near their home after 11 p.m., which they said was not permitted. The pair was on their way home from a birthday cake-cutting celebration. A policeman and a chief constable from the Sampigehalli police station have been suspended as a result of the investigation.

A man named Karthik Patri described his ordeal on Twitter and asked the Bengaluru City Commissioner of Police for assistance.

"I'd want to tell you about a horrible experience my wife and I had the night before. It was around 12:30 a.m. My wife and I were walking back home from a cake-cutting ceremony for a friend (we live in a society behind Manyata Tech Park) "Mr. Patri began by describing the occurrence in a series of 15 tweets.

He claimed they were a few metres from their entrance gate when a patrol van pulled up next to them and two men in police uniforms demanding they display their identification. "We were surprised. Why should a normal-day adult couple going down the street be asked to present their ID cards? "he stated.

The cops were in a Pink Hoysala van; complaints submitted via the Suraksha panic app or police control room number 112 are likely to elicit a rapid response from Pink Hoysala.

The cops took the couple's phones and questioned them about personal They provided information after showing them images of their Aadhaar cards.

"Despite our surprise, we answered their questions softly. At this point, one of them took out what appeared to be a challan book and began writing our names and Aadhaar numbers down. We detected a problem and asked why we had been given a challan "He went on.

After 11 p.m., one of the cops advised them that they were not permitted to "roam on the road." According to Karthik Patri, despite their misgivings about the validity of such a rule, the couple chose not to escalate the situation because it was late at night and their phones had been confiscated.

According to Mr Patri, the couple apologised for not being aware of such a rule, but the police refused to let them go and demanded 3,000 as a punishment.

"While my wife was in tears, I could barely keep my cool. Perhaps recognising they had pushed a woman too far and fearing legal repercussions, they changed course "He continued.

One of the officers then took the spouse away and "recommended" him to pay the bare minimum to avoid additional difficulty. Mr. Patri stated that he agreed to pay $1,000, which the officer requested be sent to him by PayTm.

"The man instantly held up a PayTM QR code, waited for me to scan it and make the money, and then walked away with a firm warning," he explained.

The police made note of the occurrence and encouraged people to contact them if they had experienced similar incidents.

Anoop A Shetty, Deputy Commissioner of Police, North East Division, Bengaluru City, responded to the Twitter thread, thanking Mr Patri for bringing it to their attention and promising harsh punishment.

"They will be identified, and severe punishment will be imposed," he stated.