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My personal car was stopped by octroi officers near a state border in India. They searched my car, and then said that I should have paid octroi tax on the perso
by RealGeek 10y ago
My personal car was stopped by octroi officers near a state border in India. They searched my car, and then said that I should have paid octroi tax on the personal computer I was carrying in the car.
I told them that all taxes were paid including VAT and Octroi for the computer when I bought it 5 years ago.
The said it doesn't matter, I must stop at the Octroi office and pay taxes again every time I am crossing a state border for everything I am carrying in my vehicle.
He said my only option is to pay them bribe, or they will impound my vehicle indefinitely.
- walrus01 10y agoOut of curiosity are you ethnically from somewhere in India / South Asia, or a foreigner?
- RealGeek 10y agoI am Indian.
- wrong_variable 10y agoYes, this is fairly common in all of South Asia. The way to get around this is to look poor and be brown/black. Whenever I go back: 1) I buy a local school bag back ( put my expensive laptop and phone in it ) 2) wear wife beater that is slight dirty. 3) do not shave. 4) speak only in Hindi. 5) wear only chapal ( bathroom style ) 7) let your hair grow and do not comb. Once you look poor enuf - no one will disturb you. Since my job is programming - I really do not need to look presentable since people know who I am. But I do feel sorry for anyone who needs to wear a suit. Unfortunately the only way you be be rich in public is if you have a bunch of body guards.
- RealGeek 10y agoThese tips usually don't help in India. If you look poor and nobody, the police could even beat you up for no reason. If you look and act rich & influential, then police and Government officials play nice with you.
- walrus01 10y agoso, you're screwed either way? or you should try to look middle class and neither rich nor poor?