A video showing a suspected traffic warden collecting bribes from truck drivers in Thane went viral on Saturday, prompting the transfer of 40 police officials from the Mumbra traffic unit. The YouTube video, recorded near Shilphata, a crucial corridor for trucks serving the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), allegedly shows "money being collected" from drivers, sources said.
Following the video's spread, Thane Police Commissioner Ashutosh Dumbre transferred the personnel, including the senior inspector of the Mumbra unit, to the traffic police headquarters. Deputy Commissioner (Traffic) Vinayakumar Rathod is overseeing the transfers. Sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, alleged the collection was done at the behest of traffic police officials themselves. "This collection of bribe is being done for the traffic police department itself," one source said.
Shilphata's strategic location makes it a "lucrative" posting for officers, sources added, as heavy vehicles can be easily "arm-twisted" into paying bribes. This "illegal collection of money" also contributes to traffic jams, they claimed. Inspector Suresh Khedekar, previously in charge of the Mumbra unit, has been replaced by Inspector Samadhan Chavan. Thirty-three constables have also been assigned under the new inspector.
A senior police official confirmed the video's existence and the transfers. "Besides constables, the senior inspector of Mumbra traffic unit has been transferred," the source said anonymously.