KATHMANDU, Feb 16: On Friday, Dilip Basnet, 34, from Lagan, ward 21 of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, in a drunken state pushed a parked motorcycle down in KMC-32, Bagbazar. A police constable who was watching rushed to the site and started questioning Basnet. Basnet, who was aware of his actions by then, offered the police personnel a bribe of Rs 1,000 for letting him go.

But the policeman did not take the bribe. Instead, he took action against Basnet who was taken under control and sent to the Metropolitan Police Office, Kamalpokhari. Police action taken against such bribe offers was not the first one in the month. The Metropolitan Police has taken action against ten such offenders in the Valley in the last 45 days. 

The Metropolitan Police Commissioner's Office (MPCO), Ranipokhari, claimed that the new wave of action against bribe- offering people should be taken as a campaign of zero tolerance against corruption by the police. Chief of the MPCO, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, Shailesh Thapa Kshetri said that the increase in action against bribery should be taken as Nepal Police's stand against corruption. 

“In general, we have observed that drunk drivers, tipper drivers who do not have necessary documents and people driving vehicles carrying illegal goods tend to offer such bribes to get away,” he told Republica, “The increase in such action is the result of the stand taken by Nepal Police against corruption.”

The general public had taken to social media to criticize the police after it took action against a driver who had offered a bribe of ten rupees last month. They had claimed that the police were only taking action against the bribers who offered a small amount of bribe.

DIG Kshetri dismissed this as unture. “We have taken action against people who tried to bribe as much as Rs 3,500,” he told Republica, “We are taking action against the trend of bribery in Nepal Police."

When people try to bribe the police, the latter file charges of committing an offense against social welfare and morality. According to police, such action generally causes 15 to 24 days of police custody.

Spokesperson for Metropolitan Police Range Office (MPRO), Kathmandu, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Hobindra Bogati said that when found guilty of such offense, people have to serve up to three months in prison. “The offenders can also be released on bail of up to Rs 15,000,” he said.

He added that the police have been taking such action to set an example to the people who try to bribe the police personnel.

Tipper-truck drivers tried to bribe police personnel in the valley. In the last 45 days, action was taken against 10 such bribers. Of them four were tipper drivers who offered Rs 100 each.

 
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