(MENAFN- Live Mint) A couple travelling through Bengaluru late at night alleged "invasive" checking by the police on Reddit, and the post quickly garnered attention, with some pointing out that such invasions of privacy had become "very normal" in the city, and others bashing the cops for what they described as downright "harassment".

In the post on the r/Bangalore, a sub-Reddit with over one million members, the couple described their ordeal while they were travelling from the J P Nagar via Uber at around 2 am.

Stopped by the cops at a police barricade on the highway, the couple thought they were being subject to a routine late-night check that soon turned "uncomfortable".

The 27-year-old man who made the post alleged that his 33-year-old partner was asked to step out and subjected to a full-body frisk. When he tried to step out and intervene, the cops stopped him and instead made him open his laptop bag.

They checked "every single pocket, even the hidden compartments," the 27-year-old wrote, adding that the cops "even took my wallet from inside the bag and opened it without asking".

"The whole thing felt invasive," the man explained, asking,“Is this normal in Bengaluru?”

Screengrab from r/Bangalore showing the couple's allegations.

The post quickly garnered over 121 comments, with many Redditors describing their own experiences with the Bengaluru police.

"Yes, it is very normal," wrote one Redditor, adding, "They could also have checked your phone and search weed, pornography and demanded 20-30K if anything was found. I'll be more scared to see a police stopping me than to face a thief to be honest. A thief might take your stuff but Police will humiliate you and make you feel weak, helpless. (sic)"

"...police is the real gundas of Bangalore. Any opportunity they get they'll try to torture you first and then extort off money close to lakhs.. (sic)," wrote another.

Also Read | Bengaluru real estate in demand, housing sales to grow 21% in July-Sept: Report

Many pointed out that these kinds of 'invasive' checks were carried out to extort money.

"Unfortunately, It is common. They are looking for drugs, plus anything else they can use to make a quick buck. You're actually lucky that they only went through your bag and wallet. I've heard of numerous reports where they also check your phone and go through all your private pictures and chats (sic)," explained one Redditor.

Others advised people encountering such checks to not step out of their cars and instead call the centralized police helpline (112) and tell the operators that officers are looking to go through personal belongings sans a warrant.

"Mention the road and area and if possible, mention the vehicle or bike number of the police. All the calls go to central control room are recorded. Ask them to send a Hoysala to deal with the issue. Do this phone call on speakerphone so the cops can also hear it. But never get out of the car late at night. Only applies to those in vehicles," the Redditor said, adding, "If you're on a 2W or walking, this may be tough because thy are liable to snatch the phone from your hand. (sic)."

MENAFN03102025007365015876ID1110145413