A long time ago, when the LTTE war was ongoing we went to Chennai. That was the only time we set foot in India. There was a conference to attend. We booked into a very good hotel (one that was recommended) and on arrival the reception desk advised that all SriLankans need to be registered and a form to be obtained from the nearest police station. Although the room was allocated they couldn't let us check in. But they said off the record, my wife could settle in but for me to get to the police station and get the authority. They called a taxi, gave instructions to the driver and told me not to wait in queues but go ahead and just give Rs 5 to the police guy, everything will be looked after.
I went in to the police , only one guy was in , no uniform, chewing betel and I gave him Rs 10 and told him why I was there. He gave me his chair to sit down, and started filling the form while he was standing. He was the Inspector of the station. Less than 5 minutes, everything filled and stamped.