KARACHI: A traffic police officer has been suspended after a citizen filmed him accepting a bribe, a video of which was shared widely on social media. The incident came to light when the footage was posted online, prompting immediate action from the authorities.
The officer, identified as Mohsin, was caught accepting a bribe from a truck driver who had been stopped for a routine check. The driver lacked the required vehicle documents, and in exchange for ignoring the violation, the driver bribed the officer. The video, which went viral, showed the officer accepting the bribe, leading to his suspension.
Traffic police have ordered an internal inquiry into the matter. Officials confirmed that the officer was assigned as the driver for the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Traffic North Nazimabad. They assured the public that strict action would be taken once the investigation is complete.
This incident follows another viral video earlier in the year, which showed a Karachi traffic officer attempting to evade an E-challan. The officer was seen riding a motorcycle without a visible number plate near the Expo Center, with the digits deliberately removed to avoid detection. Additionally, he was caught violating traffic rules by using the wrong indicator and carrying an official weapon while on duty. The footage sparked outrage as the public criticized the hypocrisy of traffic officers who enforce fines while breaking traffic laws themselves. Karachi traffic authorities have yet to respond to this incident.
The E-challan system in Karachi, introduced to streamline traffic fines, continues to face criticism for errors and mismanagement. Recently, multiple cases have highlighted significant flaws in the system, including instances of stolen vehicles being fined and inaccurate fines being issued.
One such case involved a man who had his motorcycle stolen in 2020. Despite filing a police report and the bike remaining unrecovered, the owner received an E-challan on October 27 for riding the stolen bike without a helmet. The fine, which amounted to Rs 5,000, exposed the failure of coordination between Karachi’s police and the traffic monitoring system, as the stolen bike was still listed as active in the city’s records.
In another case, a citizen received a false E-challan on the same day for a helmet violation at Teen Talwar, Clifton, even though he was at home at the time. The E-challan, which also contained mismatched data, caused the man undue stress as it added six demerit points to his record.
These incidents have raised questions about the reliability and accuracy of Karachi’s E-challan system, with many citizens calling for a thorough review and reform to prevent further errors and ensure justice.
