A series of tweets shared by an individual named Karthik about two police officials threatening him and his wife to pay Rs. 3,000 just for walking at midnight, went viral among the users of social media platforms. As a result, two police officials got suspended and it was confirmed by the official Twitter handle of Bengaluru city Police.

Terming it as a “traumatic” experience, Karthik said that he went to a cake cutting ceremony and returned to their home with his wife around 12 : 30 AM. Two Police men who confronted them, said that roaming outside above 11 PM is breaching the law and demanded them to pay Rs. 3,000.

“I would like to share a traumatic incident my wife and I encountered the night before. It was around 12:30 midnight. My wife and I were walking back home after attending a friend’s cake-cutting ceremony (We live in a society behind Manyata Tech park)” Karthik said through his tweet and went on to add “We were a few metres away from our entrance gate when a pink Hoysala patrol van stopped by us. Two men in police uniforms asked us to show our ID cards. We were taken aback. Why should an adult couple walking on the street on a normal day be asked to show their ID cards?”

“Anyway, we had nothing on us except our phones and a box of cake. Luckily, we had photos of our Aadhar cards. We promptly showed them to them. To our surprise, they took our phones away and started quizzing us about our relationship,place of work,parental details,etc” he further said.

“Though a bit shaken, we answered their questions politely. At this point, one of them took out what looked like a challan book and started noting down our names and Aadhaar numbers. Sensing trouble, we asked why we were being issued a challan” read Karthik’s tweet.

Through his tweets, Karthick said “You are not allowed to roam on the road after 11 pm,” one of them retorted. Struck by the absurdity of the reason, we persisted: “Is there such a rule? We are unaware about it.” “Literate people like you should know about such rules.” he shot back. Although not convinced, we decided to back down. It was late in the night; our phones had been confiscated; there was no help in sight; and the least we wanted was a confrontation with two policemen”

“We apologised for being ignorant about the rule and assured them of not venturing out at night again. We thought we were over it, but it was as if the two men were waiting for this moment. They refused to let us go and demanded Rs 3,000 as penalty. Our hearts sunk” he added.

“It was clear as day that the two men (tragic if they were indeed policemen) were out to con unsuspecting civilians, and we ended up being their victims. We literally begged them to let us go, but they wouldn’t budge. The more we pleaded, the harsher they became, even threatening to arrest us. It was as if we were stuck in quicksand – the more we struggled, the deeper we sunk. This continued for a long time, until the harassment became unbearable” he said.

“They showed us pictures of convicts and threatened us of dire consequences if we didn’t pay up. I could barely hold my nerve, while my wife was in tears. Perhaps realizing that they had pushed a woman too far and fearing the legal consequences, they changed tack. They said only I would be penalized. The man in the driving seat took me aside and advised that I pay a minimum amount to avoid further trouble. By now I was mentally drained and exhausted, my wife was terribly distressed, I didn’t want the ordeal to prolong even more” Karthik said.

He further said “I agreed to pay Rs 1,000 and get done with it. The man immediately held up a PayTM QR code, waited for me to scan it and make the payment, and let us ago with a stern warning: “If I and my wife are ever seen walking on road at midnight, they would register a strong case against us and ensure that we keep circling around the court.” We couldn’t sleep that night or focus on work the next day. The whole incident has left a deep scar on our minds. It has shaken our faith in the law-enforcement agencies”

“My humble questions to the Bengaluru City Police @BlrCityPolice : Is this not terrorism, is this not legalized torture? Is this how honest, low-abiding citizens of this land are meant to be treated” he questioned. “If the protectors of law themselves break the law and prey on hapless citizens, whom do we turn to?” he further asked.

Check out his tweets below :

We were a few metres away from our entrance gate when a pink Hoysala patrol van stopped by us. Two men in police uniforms asked us to show our ID cards. We were taken aback. Why should an adult couple walking on the street on a normal day be asked to show their ID cards? (2/15)

— Karthik Patri (@Karthik_Patri) December 9, 2022

Though a bit shaken, we answered their questions politely. At this point, one of them took out what looked like a challan book and started noting down our names and Aadhaar numbers. Sensing trouble, we asked why we were being issued a challan. (4/15)

— Karthik Patri (@Karthik_Patri) December 9, 2022

Although not convinced, we decided to back down. It was late in the night; our phones had been confiscated; there was no help in sight; and the least we wanted was a confrontation with two policemen. (6/15)

— Karthik Patri (@Karthik_Patri) December 9, 2022

It was clear as day that the two men (tragic if they were indeed policemen) were out to con unsuspecting civilians, and we ended up being their victims. We literally begged them to let us go, but they wouldn’t budge. (8/15)

— Karthik Patri (@Karthik_Patri) December 9, 2022

They showed us pictures of convicts and threatened us of dire consequences if we didn’t pay up. I could barely hold my nerve, while my wife was in tears. Perhaps realizing that they had pushed a woman too far and fearing the legal consequences, they changed tack. (10/15)

— Karthik Patri (@Karthik_Patri) December 9, 2022

I agreed to pay Rs 1,000 and get done with it. The man immediately held up a PayTM QR code, waited for me to scan it and make the payment, and let us ago with a stern warning: “If I and my wife are ever seen walking on road at midnight, they would register a strong case…(12/15)

— Karthik Patri (@Karthik_Patri) December 9, 2022

My humble questions to the Bengaluru City Police @BlrCityPolice :

Is this not terrorism, is this not legalized torture?

Is this how honest, low-abiding citizens of this land are meant to be treated?(14/15)

— Karthik Patri (@Karthik_Patri) December 9, 2022

Update: The culprits have been identified and brought to book. I am thankful to @DCPNEBCP and @BlrCityPolice for the swift and decisive action. We are humbled by the flood of support coming in from friends, family, society members,activist groups, media houses and thousands of…

— Karthik Patri (@Karthik_Patri) December 11, 2022

Here’s the action initiated by the Bengaluru city Police :

Two police personnel from @sampigehallips responsible for the incident have been identified, suspended and departmental action initiated. @BlrCityPolice will not tolerate deviant behaviour from its staff. @DCPNEBCP @Karthik_Patri

— ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ನಗರ ಪೊಲೀಸ್‌ BengaluruCityPolice (@BlrCityPolice) December 11, 2022