A shocking pattern of police extortion has emerged along National Highway-6, where truck drivers from outside Meghalaya claim they are being systematically tortured by police personnel manning checkpoints-allegedly forced to pay thousands of rupees in illegal “taxes” during a single trip through the state.
When a section of reporters visited the Shillong-Jowai Road on Monday, the truckers’ outrage was immediate and explosive.
The drivers pointed to the
Mawryngkneng checkpoint as a criminal hub, where police personnel allegedly demand anywhere between Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,000 from a single truck-the worst extortion racket in the state.
The most damning revelation? Police personnel were conspicuously absent from the checkpoint on Monday-precisely because media persons were in the area, the truckers claimed.
“This is not checking documents-this is organised theft,” an angry truck driver exploded. “They do not really inspect our documents. We are forced to stop at every checkpoint and pay money. If we do not stop, they shout at us and chase us like criminals. We have to pay whatever amount they demand.”