Kabul police extorting under-construction buildings’ owners

A number of residents of capital Kabul on Sunday said police and municipality workers illegally took money and harassed people engaged in construction of buildings.
Ahmadullah (not a real name), a resident of Khak-i-Jabbar district of Kabul, told Pajhwok Afghan News that he bought a land plot from the Kabul municipality in Arzan Qimat area last year and started construction of a building there.
But police and municipality officials had since been demanding money under different pretexts, he said.
“Police have taken $2,000 for each story of the building, I have so far constructed six storys and paid $15,000 to police and district workers,” he said.
He said currently he had stopped construction of the building because had no more money to pay to municipality workers and police.
Noorullah, a resident of Massoud Township in the limits of 15th police district, said: “I have constructed my house up in two stories. Just a day earlier, two persons in military uniform came and demanded 15,000 Afghanis, they even started physical clash with me and until I showed them my card and told them that I work in the intelligence agency, then they left and did not come back.”
Najibullah, who works in an under-construction building in the area, said that, police took him from the building and did not release him until the building’s owner paid them money.
“Police take money only from those who are poor and are powerless, they cannot take money from powerful men,” he said.
He said police took $1,000 against each story of an eight-floor building where he worked about a month ago.
Jalil Sultani, spokesman for the Kabul municipality, confirmed police took money from under-construction buildings and bribes from owners of buildings due to corruption in the force and unawareness.
But police could not take money from people constructing their buildings according to the municipality plan, he said.
Najib Danish, spokesman to the Ministry of Interior (MoI), rejected police took money and said police had no right to interfere in construction of a building if it was not illegal.