25 April,2017 06:01 AM IST | Mumbai | Pallavi Smart
In a span of just five hours – from 11 pm to 4 am – on Monday night, Mumbai cops booked a total of 38 youngsters rash riding or other offences such as riding triple seat or without helmet or licence
The cops spared no one, even chasing the bikers on foot when they had to. Pics/Sameer Markande
On Monday night, rash bikers got a shock when they found the Kherwadi police standing in their way, waiting to catch them in the act. In a span of just five hours - from 11 pm to 4 am - the cops booked a total of 38 youngsters rash riding or other offences such as riding triple seat or without helmet or licence.
The cops spared no one. Pics/Sameer Markande
The Kherwadi police held nakabandis at five different spots - Bandra railway bridge, Kherwadi junction, Kalanagar junction, Teachers' Colony and the highway bridge. The cops stood right in the middle of the road to catch violators, who tried various dangerous routes of escape, from cutting lanes to riding in the opposite direction to the traffic and even trying to race past the constables posted at the check points. But, the cops spared no one, and even chased the bikers on foot when they had to.
One constable said, "This shows how bikers ride rashly on the highway, putting several lives in danger. It was a dangerous task for us. A few of our people suffered minor injuries. But, we had to go by the book to keep law and order. When a biker tries to escape, the hawaldars could have easily used their lathis, but that could have injured the culprit, so we took care of it in other ways."
Assistant Police Inspector Sohan Pawar, from Kherwadi police station, said, "This was a very important drive to control rash bikers. Not only do they put their lives in danger, but several others are also affected due to this menace."
When asked why they undertook such a massive campaign on Monday night, he said, "It was best to catch them unawares, so it was a sudden decision. This activity will certainly have an impact, as the youngsters are scared now."
A total of seven were caught for rash riding, while 31 were booked under the Motor Vehicle Act for other offences such as riding without helmets.
Midnight racing
Meanwhile, a large group of bikers was spotted racing near the Goregaon flyover on the Western Express Highway. Asked why they were racing on a dangerous highway, one of them said, "It's fun," even as another biker was cleaning up the oil from an accident just a few minutes ago.
