Special police team targets youths performing wheelies on city roads; six arrested

A special team from the city traffic police's West Division has nabbed six offenders for performing wheelies, in separate cases in west Bengaluru.

The team, consisting of eight members from various stations, was formed on June 20 to investigate wheeling cases in the western part of the city.

Led by the Magadi Road traffic inspector, the team takes action based on local complaints and alerts received via social media. These alerts inform them about dangerous stunts happening on highways and other busy roads.

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Within nine days, the team has registered six cases of wheeling in the West Division. Three cases were handed over to the Magadi Road traffic police, two to Vijayanagar, and one to Kengeri for further probing.

An officer in the team said: "If we identify any modifications to the vehicles, we inform the Regional Transport Office (RTO) to cancel the vehicle registration after conducting a thorough inspection. The driving licences are suspended promptly."

The team has been closely monitoring videos and information shared on social media to identify locations frequented by repeat offenders, and arrest them.

The offenders face charges under IPC Section 279 (rash driving or riding in a public way) and Section 189 (punishment for racing and trials of speed) of the Indian Motor Vehicles (IMV) Act. If they are found without a driving licence or not wearing a helmet, they additionally face charges under Section 3(1) r/w 181 or 129 of the IMV, respectively.

Cases in the past week

On June 27, the Magadi Road traffic police registered a case against 19-year-old Harshith Gowda for wheeling on the West of Chord Road near ASC Degree College before the flyover. It was found that he was performing dangerous stunts without wearing a helmet, endangering his safety and that of other road users.

Earlier this week, 22-year-old Manjunath was detained by the Magadi Road traffic police for wheeling and reckless driving on the same road. His vehicle was seized, and the RTO was notified due to suspected modifications.

After receiving a complaint on Twitter, the team detained 19-year-old Pavan R and handed him over to the Kengeri traffic police for performing wheelies on a scooter on Kenchanahalli main road this week.