PANAJI
A man with nine criminal cases against him has been accused of allegedly attempting to bribe a Traffic Police Inspector in an intimidating manner after being caught for a traffic violation at Peddem Junction.
Dattaraj Tuyekar, who has a history of legal troubles, allegedly attempted to strong-arm Mapusa Traffic Police Inspector Marlon D'Souza around 6 pm on February 17 when he was stopped for alleged rash driving. According to the officer's complaint, instead of cooperating, Tuyekar refused to produce his driving license and aggressively demanded to know how much bribe the traffic personnel wanted, indicating he would not comply otherwise.
The North Goa District and Sessions Court granted Tuyekar anticipatory bail but barred him from entering North Goa for two months. While the Court acknowledged he has nine cases -- two acquitted -- it granted him interim relief with conditions to appear before the Investigating Officer for seven days, surrender his passport if he possessed it, not tamper with evidence and witnesses, etc.
The PI, in his complaint, alleged that Tuyekar not only refused to comply with legal procedures but also obstructed the policemen from carrying out their duties. “The driving license was sought to generate the challan for the violation, but the accused argued and asked how much bribe was required instead of producing the document. He also threatened the personnel with serious consequences,” the complaint stated.
The incident occurred during peak traffic hours, worsening congestion owing to the newly activated traffic signals at the junction on the National Highway.
During the court hearing, Tuyekar’s legal counsel argued that he had been acquitted in two previous cases, while investigations into the remaining cases were pending.
