Traffic police in southern Bengaluru have booked 26 youths, five of them minors, since January after discovering wheelie videos posted on social media.
In the latest incident, Vijayanagar traffic police apprehended a 20-year-old biker who allegedly performed a wheelie on the Manjunath Nagar flyover on West of Chord Road.
According to police, Appu S, a resident of Agrahara Dasarahalli, had modified his two-wheeler to achieve high speeds while performing wheelies.
He has been charged under IPC Section 279 (rash and negligent driving) and sections 189 and 129 of the Indian Motor Vehicles Act.
Further action will be taken against him after the RTO conducts an investigation, police said in a statement.
Most of the wheelie incidents have been reported from Chamarajpet 5th Main Road, Hanumanthanagar 7th Cross, JP Nagar underpass, Ilyas Nagar, Outer Ring Road in Kumaraswamy Layout, Kumaraswamy Layout Junction, Anjanapura, Chikkegowdana Palya, Somapura, 80 Feet Road Gubbalala, Jamboo Savari Dinne, and RBI Layout. These roads have recently been asphalted.
Initially, police efforts to catch wheelie riders by placing barricades didn’t yield results.
In some cases, police officers have even sustained injuries.
Cops go undercover
Adopting a new strategy, the police are now patrolling the roads in plainclothes to catch the offenders. They have also obtained wheelie videos posted by local residents on social media. Out of the 26 two-wheelers seized since January, 23 were scooters.
First-time offenders were booked under Section 41a of the CrPC and served notices.
Subsequent offenses result in prosecution under Section 107 of the CrPC, along with the cancellation of their driving licence and vehicle registration certificate, according to police.