Recently I, along with my wife, returned from Saudi Arabia after performing Umrah. When we returned back from the Umrah I was confronted with an amazing experience of cheating by the Delhi Police stationed at the pre paid taxi counters of Indira Gandhi International airport (IGI airport).
We reached the IGI airport New Delhi in the wee hours of 20th March and after boarding the flight the flight could not take off as the weather in Srinagar was inclement. After few hours of our boarding the flight, the flight captain announced the cancellation of our flight to Srinagar and we deplaned and went to the pre paid taxi counter to take a taxi to Jangpora, New Delhi, where we planned to stay with one of our relatives who happens to live there. I asked the policeman in civvies who manned the pre paid taxi counter for a taxi to Jangpora and gave him Rs 500 note, and after a pause of few seconds the guy told me that I have paid only 100 rupees note and showed the same to me. I could not believe this but being fully tired and hungry for the whole day I though may be I was wrong and he (policeman manning pre paid counter) was right. I gave him Rs 500 note and he gave me the rest of the amount back along with a receipt for Rs 350 (taxi fare till Jangpora). Few taxi drivers were present near the counter and one of them offered his taxi to us and we started our journey towards Jangpora. While travelling in the taxi I discussed the whole episode with my wife and I again checked my wallet and I exactly found that I am short by Rs 400. I meanwhile asked the taxi driver about the credentials of the policemen manning the pre paid taxi counters and I was astonished when the taxi driver told me  “Sahib aapnay 500 ka note usko diya” (sir you paid him Rs 500) . It was the taxi driver who told me that people manning the pre paid counter belong to Delhi Police traffic department and me that these people are habitual fraudsters. Hearing this I took out the pre paid taxi bill and located a helpline number of police. I called them and told them the whole story and they noted it all down. The police official on the line told me that they too have heard about several similar complaints but said nobody comes forward. Later in the evening while I was sitting with my relatives at their Jangpora house the accused police official who had duped me called me and requested for withdrawing the complaint as he feared to lose his job.
“Sir mujhe maaf karo, mere nokri chalaey jayegee, aap compliant wapas lailo”, he said to me. The guy further said that he will wait for me at the main gate of IGI airport the next day and would pay me Rs 400 back. When we reached IGI airport the next day (March 21st)  at 7 am to catch our flight for Srinagar we found this Policeman waiting for us along with few of his colleagues at the main gate. Soon after seeing me he rushed towards me and touched my and my wife’s feet and cried, asking for forgiveness. I scolded him initially and ultimately forgave him. He then returned back Rs 400 which he had fraudulently taken from me.
I would advise all those people who travel to Delhi or other places to remain very vigilant and cautions about all such of people. One must not hesitate to call the police helpline. In my case it was police who gave me justice and very important thing in this whole story is that the accused too was a policemen.

Author is an Advocate and resident of Gopalpora, Chadoora Budgam

Lastupdate on : Wed, 23 May 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 23 May 2012 18:30:00 GMT
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