Several teams of Highway Police equipped with video cameras have started vigilance in guise of traders to curb highway crimes and spot the police personnel taking bribes from vehicles.

The Highway Police authority has launched the drive on national and regional highways across the country on August 19 targeting goods transportation across the country during the month of Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr.

The authority also directed highway police teams not to intercept any foodstuff carrying truck in the name of checking when there is no senior official (at least an officer of inspector level) in the team.

Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Shah Golam Mahmud of Highway Police said "We launched the countrywide drive on August 19 to check highway extortion from the trucks carrying foodstuffs and other goods."

"Each of the 12 teams includes at least five personnel carrying video cameras and they travel by trucks in plain clothes to monitor the activities of highway police personnel," he added.

The authority clainjed (hat they have checked extortion and bribery on highways after they started the drive, though they failed to trace any dishonest highway police officers during the drive except several gangs of highway robbers.

AIG Mahmud said during Ramadan no

highway robbery or no incident of bribery by highway police personnel had been reported on the highways after the drive had been launched.

Highway Police sources said an additional superintendent of police (ASP) head each of the teams and Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Sohrab Hossain of Highway Police monitors the drives.

Under Highway Police, there are 7,641 kilometres national and 4,165km regional highways. They have total 2,042 highway police personnel in two regions--eastern and western—and seven zones. Total 48 outposts under 24 proposed Highway Policy outposts are now functioning, sources said.

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A1G Mahmud said, "We intercept at least seven to ten trucks at the place before any crime-prone spot at dead of night and then ask them move together so that any highway gang dare not to commit robberies. The technique proves a success."

Some traders at Karwan Bazar said on the nights of Ramadan trucks carrying agricultural products are not intercepted by police on the highways.

But, in the early morning, highway police personnel at some points intercept trucks and take bribes, they said adding bribery by traffic sergeants across the country is rampant duringday times.

Truck drivers have to bribe traffic polices at least Tk 200 while highway police patrolling on the highways take Tk 100 to 500 in different areas across the country during the day, they said.

Truck driver Mohammad Saiful who reached Karwan Bazar Tuesday evening with his truck loaded with papayas from Binodpur at Matihar of Rajshahi said he had to payTk 1100 as bribe to traffic police personnel at seven points on his way.

He said he had to pay Tk 100 at Motihar of Rajshahi, Tk 200 at the entrance of Natore town, Tk 100 at Gunpara near Sirajganj, Tk 100 at Kadda of Sirajganj, Tk 200 at Mirjapur ofTangail. Tk 200 at Gazipur Chowrasta (crossing) and Tk 200 at Azampur in the capital. He was even given a slip numbered 142 against Tk 200 at Gazipur Chowrasta.

The fare of the truck was fixed at Tk 11000 to carry the papayas but now it will cost the trader Tk 12100 as the bribed money adds to the cost.

He added thugs couldn't extort money on the highways as none but the law enforcers can intercept the trucks.