Paid online but still had to pay a bribe

Went to the passport office today to renew my passport, and honestly, the whole experience was insane.

They didn’t even let me enter properly at first and kept nitpicking my documents for no real reason. I had already paid the fees online, and that itself became an issue for them. They just kept objecting and delaying things.

In the end, I had to pay a bribe, and suddenly everything was “fine.” Like magic. 🙃

I needed the passport within two days, so I paid for the fast-track option. Later, one of the guys casually told me that if I had just paid a bribe of 1500, I could’ve gotten the passport in two days without the fast-track fee. That honestly hit hard. I felt like a third-class citizen in my own country.

The whole environment was toxic, chaotic, and openly corrupt. No fear, no shame just blatant bribery.

Have you guys had similar experiences at passport offices?
Also, is there any real way to report this to the relevant authorities, or does that just lead nowhere?