The Police Story

Guess most of you would have heard of Sodexho coupons. Well for those who havent, in India its common for most of the office's to give these coupons to employees, so as to avail tax benefits on the amount. These can be used in restaurants, to buy food / vegs and so on from select outlets.. Well you must be wondering where this is leading to???

What are the uses of the Sodexho coupons??
1. To eat at restaurants
2. To buy fruits and vegetables
3. To bribe policemen

Yes, you read right.
This Saturday, George , my cousin, Tarun and me went to Reliance Fresh located in Ashok Nagar, for our regular home stuff shopping. The roads are real wide and people for years have been parking at the side. Well we too parked our car and went shopping, as we always do. When we had paid our veg bills and were at the non- veg section, buying fish, there was an announcement on the speaker informing that the traffic policemen had come and those who had parked bikes and cars had to remove them.
George, baby and me went out to see the state of our car. George's purse was totally empty as we were planning to go to the ATM on the way back and we just had the Sodexho coupons. We had paid Rs.1300/- at Reliance and was left with coupons worth Rs.200/- only.
I was carrying baby and saw the police guy put a lock through the rim of the tyre, locking the car. He told me that we had to pay a fine of Rs. 150 /- for parking on the road.
Meanwhile George went to meet the policeman (the regular looking one- tall, huge mustache, huge pot belly ) who was heading the ' operation ', to inform him that he had to release the lock for him to go to the ATM to get the money for the fine, and that he had only the coupons. The policeman then asked him what the coupons were and to give him Rs.100/- worth coupons. George was shocked. He then asked George the uses of of it and where it was accepted and so on. He gave the policeman the coupon and was walking towards me. The policeman was also walking with George and very politely told me that we could take the car. I thought he saw my almost 8 month pregnant tummy and was showing some karuna (pity). Then only George told me the story of the Sodexho bribe. I was shocked. This was the first time I had come across a policeman so openly asking for a bribe. It was almost funny.
So bad is the state of our policemen !