[nda992]

Originally Posted by Oppanna

Glad that they are arrested. But soon these thugs will be out on bail!

Indian Judicial system is one of the most loophole centric one in this part of the galaxy.. The penalties & fines for such incidents are = a rap on the knuckles. Our Milords need to understand that violence of any kind should be unacceptable. By categorising violence in sub-headings like 'rarest of the rare", I don't know what are we achieving.

[SnakemanJohny]

This kind of thing also happens in New Town, a satellite city of Calcutta.
With wide roads and very low traffic, particularly in the eastern part, local youth (mostly from the outskirts -- still villages) on bikes , without helmets and sometimes three riding together, pick on lone cars on some flimsy excuse, vent their anger, and try to extort. It is a classic case of HAVES vs HAVENOTS.

I faced such incidents twice : once having stopped on the left looking for directions to my destination, I started again without checking my mirrors, as the road was totally empty. Suddenly two ruffians on a bike came out of nowhere and screeched to a halt near my window, saying " You look quite aged, when are you going to learn to drive ?" I had already stopped and stuck my right arm out, waving them on. But after their remark, I got out and said, "I was just waiting for you to come and teach me, without helmets" and glared at them. After some moments I got into my vehicle and went on.

Another time I was taking a left turn at an empty intersection, again busy looking for directions, when a bike came full pelt from behind on the left and hit the front passenger door, going straight. Even though my Gypsy door got a dent from the bike's handlebar, I got out and apologized to the bikers, who had gone for a toss but were unhurt. After all, it is the right of every biker to overtake from the left at high speed, even on an empty six-lane road ! The matter ended there.

Both these incidents remained unrecorded on my dashcam, as the action took place mostly on the sides and back.

But these were very light incidents, compared to the ones happening in B'lore ! As things are in Calcutta, even if you go to a police station nearby, you will not be able to park in the vicinity, and still be at the mercy of the hooligans who will keep claiming to be victims. And if you find a spot to park, it will take a long time for you to get the attention of the duty officer at the desk, usually an aged Asst. Sub Inspector who, having plodded up from constable, would be near retirement and could not care less. Meanwhile your car would be at the mercy of the vandals, who will find enough supporters in the crowd outside a PS, mostly petty criminals and touts.

I hope I have not painted a very grim scenario ! For extreme emergencies, I keep a stun gun and pepper spray near my left hand, between the front seats. And the wheel wrench within reach under my seat. But again they would not be very effective against more than two attackers.

[OffRoadFun]

This is a common scam in Bengaluru. I must say the prompt response of the police is commendable. And can anyone even over emphasize the need for a dashcam?

I have been a victim of at least three such incidents, in all three of them, there was a pre-meditated plan to extort money.

I never paid any money because I never lowered the windows but man, these guys seem to be running with impunity.

Last incident I had was a few months back on ORR, the main artery for morning commute, the guy on motorcycle deliberately applied brake in front of my car, my car gently touched and he tried to create a scene. Thankfully, I kept my nerve and ignored him altogether for a few minutes when he showed tantrums on the road. Rush hour traffic built pressure on him to leave eventually, he tried to hit my bonnet, but no noticeable damage.

I had dashcam footage but somehow chose not to pursue and decided to head to office.

[NPV]

With regards to reaching out to the police - for Bangalore I think 112 (Namma 112/Dial 112) is a good option and from what I know, the response is very quick , usually 10-15 minutes.

*I think this is now a pan-karnataka service.
Here's an older article.

[ulag62442]

Lot of comments advising someone to go direct to the police station. But my guess is that the goons will stop tailing you when you reach the station and then being again once you leave the police station. They have ample time to be jobless and know that you will eventually leave and just wait it out. Police may note down your complaint and send you off since no goons around but that will just leave you exposed once again.

[Sebring]

In 2017, something scary happened to me while I was driving my kid home from school in my Nexon car (at Marathalli). Suddenly, a guy purposely brought his bike really close to my car and dropped it right in front of me. Then, he blocked the road on the Marathalli bridge, so I couldn't move my car forward.

Things got worse as he started shouting profanities and aggressively asked me to lower my car window. To make matters scarier, four more people joined him, and they surrounded my car, banging on all the windows and the door. I felt really frightened, so I quickly ensured the windows were completely rolled up, locked the doors, and kept the engine running. I knew I had to call the cops right away, so I made sure the call was on speaker so that the gang could hear.

Even though I tried to talk to them calmly in Kannada and asked for time to wait for the police, they didn't listen and kept banging on the car. One guy tried to dent the car’s body with his fist, another pulled the wipers. I didn’t budge.

Thankfully, the police response was amazing. They kept calling me every minute to make sure I was safe and arrived at the scene in just 7-8 minutes. When the gang saw the police coming, they ran away.

It was a really scary experience since I had my kid with me, but the cops' quick help and support made me feel much better. Late in the night they again called to ensure I was alright. In the midst of the frightening situation, knowing the police were there to help me was really comforting.

I have invested heavily in two separate 4K dash-cams. One at the front and one at the back. The rear charging port above the seats in the Nexon serves the purpose well.

[Sri Vathsa]

Originally Posted by krishnakumar

Can you please tell us where this was?

I’ve also lived quite a bit in Mumbai and my sister is settled there, and of course my in-laws as well. I have never heard of such instances there, neither personally nor hearsay. Sure it’s the playground of underworld and yada yada, but I have spent countless late nights with my friends and have never felt scared/threatened at any point.

I just wish if Mumbai was a little more affordable.

I have spent 30+ Years in Bangalore and was never bullied or been a victim of any such sort, i have never heard the same from any of my relatives or friends. There are crores of people who have stayed here without encountering anything like this.

Bangalore like other cities in India is not crime free and even with the best Police force you will have these incidents (Google any city in India (which has few Million + population) and you will get 100's of incidents.

Few examples from Mumbai - these happened few days back and there are 100's of such examples

• https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...5.cms?from=mdr
• https://www.hindustantimes.com/citie...017631192.html

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSzkF8tPNVM

[pepega]

As someone who has to drive to Bangalore from out of Karantaka state for work, this is really scary. I really need to prioritize getting a dashcam at the earliest. Kudos to Bangalore police for taking swift action, that's the kind of response one expects.

[asmr]

This video brought back memories from 15yrs or so back when my Santro was just a few years old in my ownership.

I was coming back from Chennai Central railway station after dropping off my parents for their train. It was around 9-9:30pm when I was turned in to the North part of Greams road. Mind you, this is smack in the middle of the city and not some suburb. Immediately I ran in to a group of 4 bikes, a mix of 6 boys-men on them. They were riding abreast blocking both lanes. I honked once, then after several seconds honked again. No response.

Note that we were all going at 25-30kmph. These idiots showed no sign of moving away and were busy talking to each other. After about 500m, I flashed my light and gave a long blast of my horn. That triggered them and they started doing all the nonsense we see in the video. Zig zagging, brake testing in front of my car, making rude gestures, and not allowing me to overtake.

My reaction was very different then. I lost it, gunned my engine, started aggressive maneuvers myself. I rolled my window down and yelled that they were the ones that were going to get killed today plus all sorts of very wondrous words.

This went on until we hit Mount road and I had to do an immediate U turn after turning left on Mount road. I am pretty sure one or two of their vehicles hit my black front bumpers when they did the sudden brakes but it basically threw them out of balance. I kept pushing and made the U turn while the morons went their way straight. There were no dashcams, traffic was spotty on Greams and Mount road then, so no police nearby.

Thinking back, I guess I was just lucky that they didn't carry any weapons or actually blocked my vehicle. The consequences at point in time would have turned out very severe for all involved parties.

Coming back to this case - The location matters. If it was Chennai city, my reaction would be different that if it was in another locality or a place the language was different. What do we think is the best defense against these situations is? Someone mentioned pepper spray, but are we allowed to have it in India by law? Also, if there is imminent physical threat, or at what point of threat threshold, can we use the biggest weapon we have - our car - to protect ourselves and, god forbid, our family in the car? After all, we don't know what their intentions are.

To me, there are no easy answers.

[airguitar]

Originally Posted by krishnakumar

Can you please tell us where this was?

I sometimes feel why we decided to settle down in Bangalore. My wife is from Mumbai and she absolutely hates Bangalore. We decided to make our life here simply because it is nearly impossible for us to make a living in Mumbai, it’s just insanely expensive to rent/own a house there. Plus job opportunities etc. just seemed a little better here in Bangalore.

I’ve also lived quite a bit in Mumbai and my sister is settled there, and of course my in-laws as well. I have never heard of such instances there, neither personally nor hearsay. Sure it’s the playground of underworld and yada yada, but I have spent countless late nights with my friends and have never felt scared/threatened at any point.

I just wish if Mumbai was a little more affordable.

That's your personal choice where you live. While still here, don't judge it randomly based on how some hooligans behave and forget all the welcoming, warm people.

[Zippy_wheels]

Its not specific to any city tbh. There are jobless, illiterate people everywhere. Atleast in cities the response time of cops is better and they dont get influenced easily. It is worse in smaller cities and towns where everyone knows someone and has a lot more idle time to trouble you. It seems though, in some cities, its not limited to spontanious acts of anger, but a well planned and organized crime. In some instances, going on the backfoot, appears to further instigate these hoodlums. Its a tough choice though, since its not easy to be agressive, at times, when faced with superior numbers. It also depends on one's state of mind at the time and company.

I was in my home town last year and we were two couples and kids going on a short trip. It was a single lane and I was driving at a speed of ~20. There was a blind turn and I saw a splendor coming at break-neck speed, with two teenagers on it (maybe 16-17). I froze and came to a complete stop. I can still replay the accident in slow-mo in my mind. They came, saw the car, tried to break, skidded and crashed.

An old fellow from a nearby house promptly came and declared we were at fault and urged the bikers to go.
A few others including a few ladies also started berating us. Some even had the audacity to ask us to compensate them.

I was numb for a minute while I checked the damage to my car. Fortunately, the polo held up to its reputation, and there was almost no damage. My friend (a little more agressive than me in nature) promptly caught their bike and started arguing. I finally found my voice and pointed the kids at the dashcam and told them everything was recorded. That knocked the wind out of their sails. The kids started apologising as soon as they saw the dashcam (actually I had forgotten to switch it on but the poor fellows dint know).

I had to let the kids go since there was no damage and they were in no condition to pay in any case.

Then I gave that oldie a piece of my mind and he ran away and sat in a corner. You should have seen the about-turn. The ladies started scolding him and begging us to not listen to him. They started saying he is a drunkard and we shouldnt pay attention to him. The same people who were ganging up, were now begging us to spare them. After satisfying ourselves by berating them a little, we moved on.

I can assure you, without the dashcam, I would have been telling you guys a very different tale. Just the visible presence of a dashcam solves a lot of disputes.
It is the single most important accessory one needs in a car.

[Foxbat]

I saw a few Bangalore vs Mumbai comparisons so thought I would share my experiences from decades ago:

I drove my little DL registered Alto for less than a year around Bangalore in 2010-11. I remember numerous incidences of being flagged by cops for alleged traffic "violations" like speeding, crossings a red light and fined (although never was asked for a bribe). I remember once an Auto driver blocked my path and banged on my bonnet looking for a fight because I had blocked his way. I avoided all confrontations by always apologising and admitting my "fault".

For 5 years between 2012-17 I drove a UP registered Zen Estilo in Mumbai and not even once I felt I was an outsider (Yes I was a UP ka "bhaiya" in Mumbai ). The car was towed for wrong parking to the police station 3 times (I did park in wrong area), I was given a receipt for the fine and told to get the registration changed every time. My license was once impounded for having dark tints but returned immediately with a Rs.100 fine after I got them removed. I did not see any hostility from autos or motorcyclist despite my weekly late night rides from Goregaon to Gateway to India and Thane and back. I was stopped for cops regularly for checks for drunk driving late at night but seeing I was sober always let go immediately.

Overall I felt Mumbai was much more welcoming to out of station registered vehicles. My friends also share similar experiences.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by OffRoadFun

I have been a victim of at least three such incidents, in all three of them, there was a pre-meditated plan to extort money.

Based on your profile pic, I assume you drive an Audi. Did these incidents happen while you were driving Audi? I had a theory that they may not target luxury cars. But that doesn't seem to be the case?

Originally Posted by Sri Vathsa

I have spent 30+ Years in Bangalore and was never bullied or been a victim of any such sort, i have never heard the same from any of my relatives or friends. There are crores of people who have stayed here without encountering anything like this.

These incidents normally take place in the IT belts in East Bangalore (Marathhalli, Whitefeild, Sarjapur Road, Varthur....) which has seen rapid development and influx of people. These areas are also closer to the state boarders. Yes I have never experienced any such incidents in past 25+ years (I have lived in old Bangalore). There was a time I used to give lift to total strangers on ORR (between Mysore road and JP nagar) and never felt insecure (those days).

[for_cars1]

Originally Posted by Sebring

In 2017, ...Suddenly, a guy purposely brought his bike really close to my car and dropped it right in front of me. Then, he blocked the road .

The exact incident happened with me in 2017 on the ORR, not very far from Marathhalli junction. Did not step out of the vehicle and tried reaching cops, finally managed to get away. Its a pretty stressful situation but vital to keep calm so that thinking remains clear. Another important aspect is not to show any facial reaction such as frustration, raising hands or blurting out anything, these actions will only aggravate the situation. The crucial aspect is never to step out of the car and not roll down the windows.

Before this incident, always used to keep the dashcam removed for use only on long trips, but after this incident, have never switched off the dashcam. Also having the presence of mind to record on mobile is a good deterrent (if there is no cam in the car).

What number did you use on the mobile to reach the cops?

[karanddd]

Originally Posted by Bhargav7

On another note, it is surprising that the security guards stood and watched the big fight. If I was from that apartment, I would immediately call for replacing the security agency or at least have them trained to respond to such instances.

"Security guards" are paid the minimum wage, and get no training whatsoever. In India there are hundreds of thousands of security guards that exist only as dressing, they serve to deter people through their uniforms, not through training or weapons. If I am a security guard, why should I risk my life and limb for a 15k a month salary?