Ahmedabad Rural Police register case after NRI civil engineer allegedly threatened and fleeced by uniformed personnel
Ahmedabad Rural Police have filed a case against two traffic constables and two Traffic Brigade (TRB) jawans for allegedly extorting ₹20,000 and two bottles of imported liquor from a 39-year-old NRI returning from Muscat, by threatening to implicate him in a prohibition case, reported gujaratsamachar.com.
According to the FIR lodged at Santej police station on September 20, Bhatia, a resident of Om Residency, Adipur, Kutch, had flown from Muscat to Mumbai on September 17, and then to Ahmedabad early the next morning. He had purchased two one-litre bottles of liquor at Muscat’s duty-free shop.
The victim, Pankaj Gordhan Bhatia, recounted how he was stopped near Vaishnodevi Circle and pressured to pay a bribe, highlighting a serious breach of trust by law enforcement officers
Around 8:45 am on September 18, while travelling in a Maruti Suzuki driven by his relative Kishan Gopal Bhatia, they were stopped near the toll booth. Four men, two in traffic police uniform and two TRB jawans, allegedly searched Bhatia’s luggage, discovered the liquor, and threatened to seize his passport and jail him unless he paid a bribe. Initially demanding ₹1.5 lakh, the accused eventually accepted ₹20,000 after repeated phone calls and pressure. Bhatia paid ₹8,000 in cash and withdrew the remaining ₹12,000 from an HDFC Bank ATM using his cousin’s card. The two liquor bottles were also taken before the men let them go, warning them not to report the incident.
“Preliminary investigation confirms that the accused are serving police personnel,” said Bharat Rathod, DCP Zone 2. “Strict departmental and legal action will follow.”
The four have been booked for extortion, cheating, and impersonating a public servant. Police are examining CCTV footage from Vaishnodevi Circle and surrounding areas to corroborate the events and gather evidence for prosecution.