The city police have rounded up over 200 persons who were involved in bike racing and rash driving, triggering panic among the public on various arterial roads on Christmas eve.
On Sunday night, when hundreds of people were proceeding towards the Santhome Church and other churches to attend midnight mass, the police spotted youngsters riding their bikes in a rash manner. A team, led by Deputy Commissioner of Police P. Aravindan, rounded up the youth. Following several similar complaints, a special drive was launched to nab the others.
Flurry of calls
Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mylapore, V. Visweswarayya told The Hindu on Monday that the public made a flurry of calls asking them to stop the menace.
“The bikers rode at high speed creating panic. Some of them also did wheelies and rode their vehicles in a zig-zag manner.”
Police personnel were deployed on Dr. Radhakrishnan Road and Kamarajar Road (Marina) to nab them.
“Since intercepting them was a bit risky, we brought personnel from the Queen Mary’s College campus and other establishments and blocked the roads. The traffic police personnel joined them in the operation. Over 130 bikes were confiscated between midnight and 3.30 a.m. At least 200 persons riding the bikes, including pillion riders, were rounded up,” the officer said.
‘Stunts for fun’
The bikes that were seized are high-end models. Police personnel parked the vehicles on school grounds and at police stations.
During investigation the bikers from Washermanpet, Tondiarpet and Avadi told the police that they did the stunts for fun.
Most of the silencers in the vehicles were modified to create a roaring sound and a few among the bikers were inebriated and did not have a driving licence.
Some of these youths were juveniles. Police booked cases against them under Section 336 (Act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code.
In July, the State Road Safety Council decided to cancel driving licences of motorists or violations of speeding, jumping traffic signals, drunk driving, using mobile phones while driving and carrying loads above the prescribed limit in goods carriages.
Sources said till December 10 the traffic police recommended the cancellation of at least 15,620 driving licences. Regional transport offices (RTO) cancelled 6,421 licences of people who drove their vehicles under the influence of alcohol.
