Indore Entrepreneur Accuses Gujarat Police Of Harassment, Bribery; Guj Cyber Cell Team Records Statement In City

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): A 40-year-old career coach and city entrepreneur, Pankaj Singh Parihar, has levelled serious allegations of harassment and professional misconduct against Gujarat police personnel following a late-night encounter on the NE1 expressway.

The incident occurred on Apr 11 near CTM Cross Roads as Parihar and his colleague, Raghav, were driving back from Ahmedabad. Their Madhya Pradesh-registered vehicle was flagged down at a routine checkpoint set up to enforce Gujarat’s prohibition laws on the transportation of liquor.

Police read private messages, scan photo galleries

While the vehicle search yielded no contraband, Parihar alleged a gross violation of privacy. He claimed that two officers confiscated their smartphones and locked themselves inside the car for nearly an hour, reading private messages, scanning photo galleries and listening to audio clips.

“It was an incredibly stressful hour. Having your entire personal and professional life scrutinised by strangers while you are forced to stand outside is humiliating,” Parihar said.

Baseless allegations of ‘kabutarbazi’

The confrontation intensified when the officers discovered that the duo operated an overseas education consultancy. Parihar alleged that the police used the term “kabutarbazi”, a slang for smuggling or fraud, to intimidate them despite a lack of evidence.

The officers also examined an office diary containing financial notes and foreign exchange records, and threatened to hand the case over to the Cyber Cell if the matter was not “resolved”.

Bribes and ‘chai-pani’

According to Parihar, the officers drove them 100 metres away from the main checkpoint and suggested an on-the-spot “settlement”. The ordeal ended when the officers allegedly asked for “chai-pani”. Parihar claimed that, apart from the psychological distress, the officers took packets of theplas they had purchased from a namkeen shop in Ahmedabad before allowing them to leave. The entrepreneur has sought accountability, describing the episode as an abuse of power by personnel on duty.

Gujarat police team reaches Indore

Parihar told Free Press that following the incident, the Ahmedabad Commissioner of Police took cognisance and directed the Gujarat Cyber Cell to investigate.

On Friday, a three-member Cyber Cell team reached his residence in Indore and recorded statements from him and his colleague, Raghav. The team also brought CCTV footage of the spot where they were standing along with their car while police officers questioned them.

The team returned to Gujarat after recording the statements.