Wheelie riders in Bengaluru undeterred by police patrolling, case registrations

Bengaluru: Sustained efforts to trace riders who do wheelies on high-speed corridors in the city have led to the traffic police nabbing several of them, but there seems to be little deterrence effect on violators despite regular patrolling.

Between September 2023 and February 27, the east division traced a total of 46 wheelie riders and registered cases against them under section 107 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). Twelve of those identified were minor riders, whose parents were booked.

Of these, the registration certificates (RC) of 30 two-wheelers have been sent to the Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) for suspension, and eight such RCs have been suspended for three months. 

Kuldeep Kumar Jain, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic East) noted that 15 cases were booked just this month, through special drives conducted on major roads in the eastern part of the city such as Suranjan Das Road, Old Madras Road, and Cubbon Road late at night.

“We have seen some cases in the afternoon as well, when there aren’t too many vehicles on the road,” he said.

At least 23 cases have been registered in the west division, where the police identify Mysuru Road and Outer Ring Road as popular wheelie locations. On Tuesday, Ashok Nagar traffic police traced and detained a man in conflict with law for doing wheelies on Mother Teresa Road and registered an FIR against him.

However, such wheelie videos continue to get posted and go viral amongst a dedicated audience that seeks to consume the thrill of the high-speed act. Traffic police comb through such videos on social media accounts, take photos or videos, and bank on local reports to apprehend violators but cannot take any action even if wheelies are done in front of them.

“We cannot catch them in the act because it is dangerous for both them and us to chase and stop them at such a high-speed. Since it is a joyride for them, they continue to do it regardless of whether we are there or not,” said Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) M N Anucheth.