Pramesh S Jain
City based advocate filed a complaint against two parking attendants of SMVT railway station for collecting exorbitant fee from the people visiting the station.
Based on the complaint the police have registered FIR against two unknown parking attendants charging them under section 112 (petty organized crime )308 (extortion) 316 (criminal breach of trust),318 (cheating ) and 351 (criminal intimidation ) of BNS on last Thursday for further investigations .
Despite FIR registered,neither the police nor the railway authorities conducted inquiry into the incident and the accused continue to collect the illegal fee unabated,
Timothy Charles,complainant in the case who went and checked the parking lot again recently,said.In his complaint Mr.Charles,said that he had visited SMVT Terminal to receive my parents on last Thursday,who arrived by the Nagercoil-SMVT Express (Train No. 17236) at 09:30 Hrs.
Soon after he entered the designated parking lot,he was issued a entry slip and after parking the car,the attendant demanded Rs.100 as parking fees.
Finding the amount suspiciously high he requested a receipt after making the payment.
Another attendant wearing blue colour shirt issued a receipt wherein the vehicle number field was manipulated to display the amount instead of the car details.
Upon questioning the illegitimacy of the receipt,the person refunded Rs.50 and threatened him to return the receipt back .
Heated argument ensued after he refused to handover the receipt for which the attendant allegedly physically assault the advocate .
Adding to the worst,when he warned to complain the matter with the railway authorities,he said that he has paid bribe to all railway officers,the complainant, said .
The entire incident of the incident and the video recording of the accused collecting excess amount from other passengers were also handed over to the police for further investigation.
“It was evident that the parking contractor is employing unlawful means,including intimidation and fraudulent invoicing,to a mass illegal wealth while defrauding the public and the railway authorities”,the complainant , said .
The issuance of fake receipts is a direct violation of financial accountability standards and constitutes a criminal breach of trust,cheating,and fraud under the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita,which warranted detailed investigations.
