- Bribe Fighter
- 14 years ago
- 1117 views
Bribe requested to fast track address verification for Passport
I moved to Mumbai in Dec 2009 and due to changes in office premises I had to change my address twice during the span of 4 months. The passport office requires verification of all addresses that the citizen has stayed at over the past 12 months. I was called to the CID office for verification twice and I noticed that on both occasions only Muslims were called (I took a glance at the pile of reports on the desk of the CID officials). This was again confirmed by the police officer when my current address was being verified. So the first instance of malpractice is the racial profiling being done.
During the address verification at the police station near my current residence the police officer asked for a bribe that would have ensured that the file does not go for address verification of the previous address. I didn't pay thinking that there was no need. Unfortunately from that point on it took another 4 months for the verification to be complete and it took a total of 11 months for me to get a new passport. This is in spite of having a passport since the age of 1 and having traveled extensively in the past. I am proud that I didn't succumb to the pressure that the system puts on citizens but I honestly don't think that I would wait 11 months the next time around. This has only taught me a lesson that it is better to pay Rs1000/- than to suffer for 1 year for a document that is now an essential item for most professionals.