Traffic cop gets 10 years for organized extortion racket

Rajkot: A special ACB court sentenced a traffic police head constable and his civilian accomplice for running an organized bribery racket, while directing the state govt to act against investigators for allegedly covering up a wider conspiracy. The policeman was given 10 years in jail while the civilian accomplice got a seven-year term.The Modus Operandi The accused ran an extortion scheme on the Gondal Road–Kuwadva Road stretch, collecting a monthly "entry fee" of Rs 50 from commercial vehicle drivers. Instead of issuing legal penalty receipts for missing documents, they took bribes and issued specially printed ‘protection cards'. These "protection cards", bearing an image of a cow and the text "3 X" (denoting March validity), functioned as illegal free passes. When displayed, they indicated to other traffic personnel not to stop or question the driver for the rest of the month. The Sting Operation The racket came to light after Sagar, a food company owner, complained to ACB that his drivers were repeatedly forced to pay bribes. Acting on the complaint, ACB inspector D D Chavda set up a trap with a decoy driver on March 5, 2018. The decoy driver was intercepted by the civilian accomplice, Dipak Parmar. When the driver said he did not have a a PUC, Parmar demanded Rs 50 and offered a monthly card, assuring hassle-free movement. The driver handed over a powder-dusted note, after which the ACB team sprang to arrest Parmar and head constable Bipin Makwana, who was in the police jeep nearby. Shocking Recoveries The ACB recovered more than 500 "protection cards" under the rear seat of the police jeep assigned to Makwana, and another 16 from Parmar. Investigators found that the cards were printed in bulk, with orders placed by traffic staff through WhatsApp and payments made directly. Court Slams Investigators For ‘Cover-Up'The court observed that the case pointed to a corruption network involving at least 20 personnel and widespread circulation of the "protection cards". It criticised investigating officers for "covering up" the broader conspiracy. The court directed that the judgment and testimonies be sent to the home secretary in Gandhinagar, asking the govt to initiate disciplinary action against officials for failing to expose the full network. The Verdict "The special ACB court found both accused guilty of the charges. Head constable Bipin Makwana (45) was sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 3 lakh under Section 13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Dipak Parmar was sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 2 lakh under Section 12 for abetting the crime on behalf of the public servant," said district govt pleader S K Vora.