Cops pose as riders, collect Rs 8L fine from autowalas

The Bengaluru Traffic Police, posing as passengers, fined autorickshaw drivers for refusing to ply to certain destinations, demanding higher fare and not having valid documents, on Tuesday, according to a report published by The News Minute.

Earlier, the Bengaluru Traffic Police had deployed mannequins of traffic cops at intersections to make citizens abide by the law. The latest move is yet another innovative method by the traffic police to nab the rule-breakers and serve as a deterrent.

The cops posed as passengers at prime junctions and asked the auto drivers to drop them at different locations in the city. Over 5,200 offenders were caught in the act. The violations, among others, included charging higher fares and refusing to ply at metered rates.

About 797 auto drivers in the East zone, 697 in the West zone and 81 in the North zone refused rides. Similarly, 682 in the East, 604 in the West and 60 in the North zone were charging fare over and above the metered rate. About 212 auto drivers from the East zone and 280 from the West zone were caught for not carrying valid documents, according to the website.

Many auto-drivers were also fined for minor offences such as not wearing uniforms. The overall fine collected was Rs 8,06,200.

“Only two out of 10 auto drivers agreed to go to a distance of more than four to five km on the meter. This is the complaint we keep on getting from the public as well”, one traffic police working in the Chickpet Police Station told the website.

In the light of numerous complaints filed against auto drivers, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) BR Ravikant Gowda said that similar drives will be carried out in other zones of the city.