[srishiva]

I would say forget the incident. In any case you have a record of the incident online here in TBHP
I dont think they would recognize your car. You will feel better as time flies.

[ramkya1]

Scary experience indeed and right decision IMO not to confront when outnumbered.

I have taken 'humble pie' in life many times, outnumbered & outmaneuvered by superior strength. Have not declared it openly in forums, you have lots of courage to discuss this openly. After each incident, I have felt ashamed, helpless and frustrated that law cannot help, knowing well when police WILL not help. During all these times, my wife had sanely forced me to let go. With great difficulty I have come to terms with those incidents, though righteous indignation burned away some part of my personality. In retrospect, that was the best thing to do, no confrontation is the best policy.

The way they behaved was clear they were either hooligans, criminals and gang spoiling for trouble and not really worried about outcomes. Forget them, avoid taking out your car for some time and let it ride. As another poster said, nobody can step in your shoe to fully understand your situation / feelings, you can take views and decide. Again, I would go for "no confrontation" if that's an option.

--Ramky
======

[tazmaan]

Originally Posted by sathyaprakash

I have few ideas and suggestions

a. Change the color of the car if not possible change the vehicle.
b. Change the Team BHP sticker and stick it on a different side
c. Ask your wife's friend to meet you in your home or at a different location.
d. If possible take your friends along with you.
e. Complain with the police only if you have an good influence with them.
f. Better to join a self defense class to improve your confidence and stamina.
g. If possible join a political movement and carry there flag in front of your car.
h. Going viral through media or seeking support of Mr. KegriwalGoing public through media or seeking support of Mr.Kejriwal.
i. Try to imitate or fake as if you are also a hooligan by coloring hair red,wearing ear rings, dog chains, hip chains, tattoo, head & hand band, sleeveless & worn out wears, crocodile boots etc.
j. Pepper spray, hockey stick, baseball baton, chilli powder, police whistle, fake police or CBI ID as last resort.
k. If any of the above does not work out buy a bottle of hard water and catch the hooligans feet and ask apology.

I seriously agree with your suggestions because we (including myself) look at running away from such incidents. Yes self defense is 1st priority get away from harms way and then take action.

Complain to police, be prepared for a long commitment to the issue rather than making these thugs the supreme power. I always make police complain no matter what or how small the issue is and guess whats the success ratio 100%. I have even had a NCP leader come begging to be to take my complain back. Every time these guys succeed in their act the next act is usually bigger and more violent. Suppress them once and half of the gang is gone.

I am not promoting Violence and no way you should take law in your own hand and fight or get physically violent. But at the same time we all need to grow a spine. Nothing stopped you from dropping your wife home and complaining to police. A simple NC would have been enough.

If as a citizen we cannot stand up please follow the suggestion listed above.

[Trueintrepid]

Originally Posted by Trojan

T

I really wish I was travelling in my Jeep that day things might have turned differently. What is most frustrating is the helplessness that one goes through during such times.

Please advise.

IMHO I feel you should face the adversary and clear things out (Apologize or reach some kind of closure, if not an apology).

I also see that a whole lot of Tbhians have poured their suggestions/advices here. Trust me, if I were in Pune, I will have accompanied you to clear things out. I think, one of the way to help fellow members is to stand by them in a crises situation like this. If you are from the same city/town/village, sure enough help a fellow Tbhpian in whatever soup they are in.

I am not saying that all of us need to be hooligans, but we can stand together as like-minded people to only offer moral support to our distressed fellow member. Numbers will definitely help in dousing the fire in a situation like this. But again, how many of us are willing to?

[AbhishekB86]

What you did initially was right. You ensured your lady was out of harm's way and you reached home safe and sound. But for how long will you live in this shadow of insecurity?

I am by no means saying, go and tackle them. Sure you can leave the i10 behind and take the jeep for future trips.

Nobody will understand but you the kind of fear of having a lady co-passenger and 5 goons chasing you, but this can't be forever.

I suggest you take the jeep and quit worrying. They will not remember this, as someone else mentioned above, this is most probably a routine for them and they will not relate the jeep and you together. You would always be the i10 guy.

If you think you need to take this up with the authorities then by all means, go ahead and do it. But staying away isn't going to help. Remember another gang of goons may be waiting at a future date at some other place.

The point is, you can't do this forever. If they stay there, they will not magically disappear. Another 2 months down the line, they will not even remember you.

This was a big deal for you, but for them is probably a recreation activity. You need to get on with life. Take the next best alternative- the jeep. Noone is carrying your picture around to target you.

Had you been the only driver, I would have had a few aggressive suggestions but considering the responsibility of the co-passengers is yours, this is the next best alternative.

Quit worrying and get on with life. They probably let go of it, when they were tackling some other gentleman like you, the next day or maybe the next hour.

Relax and get on with life - in a different vehicle though.

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by Trojan

This incident happened 2-3 weeks back, I was driving with my wife and one of her friends, we were on the way to drop her home which is in Bijalinagar, Chincwad. This place must be around 2kms from where we stay so it is in the vicinity.

I lived in that exact area between 1989 and 2001. The way that area has changed is beyond words. Just as a sample, in 1998 when that bridge over the tracks was not yet built, there were just 2 shanties. I think that was the case till about 2002. Since then, the other side of the Akurdi rail station has just shown exponential increase in plots being sold and subsequently the two shanties growing into a robust slum.

These details may seem irrelevant, but look at it from the perspective of these morons if possible. They are not original residents of the area but have moved here during the last 10 years. There is little to no connect between these goons and the local population other than someone in their slum areas doing some menial work in nearby households. essentially they have no face to lose, hence they behave as they wish.

Sometimes I wonder where they get the money for fuelling these cars. Sambhaji chowk (I assume this is what used to be called Bhel chowk) is a good 1 to 2 km away on the Pradhikaran side of the bridge. If they followed you there, they had no intention other than getting into a brawl and extorting some money out of you.

Originally Posted by Trojan

Now my questions/concerns are-
- How do I tackle this situation? Apparently they stay/hangout in the vicinity of our friends house and we do visit them often
- I am quiet concerned as I am sure, if they would recognize us they might want to cause some altercation, and I am usually travelling with my wife and our tiny tot. My car can be recognized due to the T-BHP sticker.

We all are different in our reactions, so I am sure you will get a varied response from bhpians too. My suggestion would be to just ignore this lot of goons and go about your normal life. if you do have to go to that area in the next few weeks just take another vehicle. if they do get hold of you elsewhere, just feign ignorance of any such incident and move on. i10 is quite common in Pune, so you could claim its another similar car.

Other options:
- if you have clout, try and use it. I dont think any good will come out of this. It ends up like two armies stacked against each other in a street fight. then who has the bigger clout wins.
- go meet them and sort it out. this is actually pointless as I doubt they have the brainfolds to remember this after some time. they would be getting into so many such incidents on a daily basis. moreover, if they dont have the sense to sort it out, this could get worse.

Originally Posted by Thar4x4

Guys, don't rush on decision. I am from same city as Torjan and hence advising depend on my experience here. I can totally understand the danger he faced but remembering it is of no use.

Now that you are out of the situation, it is necessary not to do anything when it is not necessary to do anything.

Originally Posted by ironshark

I have been born and brought up in Pradhikaran and I feel sad the way these hooligans are becoming a bigger menace day by day.

I was born + brought up there too. lived there till late nineties. we may know some common friends. it was a different time then in Pradhikaran, everyone knew everyone.
Sad to see such a peaceful place destroyed by that slum. and whatever goes by the name of development.

[fiestarry]

There is no shortage of such awful people in this country. I have had many scrapes with these sort of maniacs but I always assess my situation before taking the next step.
If you are in the company of women, children or are carrying valuables in the car then the first and only way is to beat a hasty retreat. Let them look for you.

[Trojan]

Thank you everyone, for the time being we are avoiding going there.
I am taking it as a one-off incident, but have notified some of our friends, and we will just be careful. I just hope that these people don't trouble anyone else - but I guess that is too much to ask for.

By the way, just to clarify I did not over speed while moving away from the area, because it is not possible in that area to do so without causing an accident. It is very important to keep ones cool and think with a rational mind.

I thank everyone for their suggestions, it did help, a lot of perspective does provide some good insight and thought processes to ponder on, like the point that these people might not even remember.

But like in everything else, I see that I have gained something out of this, gained the support of all fellow members and possible interaction with Pradhikaran members (which I was looking for)

Originally Posted by akshay4587

Its better to be safe than sorry.
sometimes my blood boils and i wish,if running over these sort of people was legal.

I know, its frustrating to the core.

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

Since you have more than 1 vehicle i would say simply take any other than the I-10.
Put the incident behind without stretching things further.

Thats what we are doing at present

Originally Posted by ironshark

Trojan - Hopeless is the word.
The hooligans that you mentioned are from the nearby slum in Bijlinagar who often own these white Indicas that ply as cabs for various companies in Hinjewadi.
O.T - We should catch up sometime. PCMC Bhpians do meet on a regular basis.

Thanks Ironshark, yes that is the problem which is growing every other day.
Sure, I always wondered whether there were any meet-ups happening in Pradhikaran.

Originally Posted by vibbs

Take some friends with you. Take the same car ask one of your friends to be with you in the car, the rest can follow you in another vehicle but at a distance.

Good suggestion, but given the people involved it just gives them more pleasure.
Slightly modified quote - ' Dealing with such people is like wrestling with a pig in slimy mud, while you get dirty the pig actually enjoying it'

Originally Posted by F150

I had a similar incident in MUNDHWA. I was returning from PUNE - MUMBAI mega meet. I am actively looking for a CAR DVR

Glad you reached safely, these days people are so angry and are ready to fight it out over nothing

Originally Posted by abeerbagul

What I gather is these are low life hooligans,
However, their attention span is very poor, and so is their memory

Originally Posted by raul

Things happen in the heat of the moment and it usually ends there. I think the issue here is it is at the back of your mind, and you need to address and resolve this.

Thanks

Originally Posted by onesomeone

And in that situation what he did was apt, as standing up against 5 hooligans who wanted to create a scene was not the most advisable thing to do.

Correct, safety was my primary concern

Originally Posted by 1self

If you stop & lower your window, it's taken as a sign of aggression by these retarded people.

Especially if they are more in number

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

The last thing I'd want is for them to know where I stay !

Yes, totally agree

Originally Posted by sathyaprakash

I have few ideas and suggestions

You have given me some very good reasons to laugh about buddy, thanks a lot for your suggestions, they were quiet interesting.

Adding one more to it
> Add devil horns to the car, on the roof at the corners with illumination if possible

Originally Posted by Biraj

Life in hindsight is always easy.

Thanks Biraj

[Trojan]

Originally Posted by srishiva

I dont think they would recognize your car

Yes, somehow these incidences make you feel like you are the only one!

Originally Posted by ramkya1

I have taken 'humble pie' in life many times, outnumbered & outmaneuvered by superior strength. --Ramky

Thanks Ramky, felt the same, but sanity wins. Law abiding people always have to bite the dust in such situations.

Originally Posted by tazmaan

Complain to police

I don't know what to say, can say that Mumbai is different, things work differently there - police is more active and presence is felt, the same cannot be said about Pune. And moreover nothing had happened from a crime point of view.

Originally Posted by Trueintrepid

Trust me, if I were in Pune, I will have accompanied you to clear things out.

Thanks a lot, but even if people would be willing to, I would have politely declined, these are steps and measures which need to be taken when situations demand, at the moment I think ignorance is the advise which everyone has suggested which should help.

Originally Posted by AbhishekB86

Had you been the only driver, I would have had a few aggressive suggestions but considering the responsibility of the co-passengers is yours, this is the next best alternative.

Originally Posted by selfdrive

I lived in that exact area between 1989 and 2001. Just as a sample, in 1998 when that bridge over the tracks was not yet built, there were just 2 shanties. The two shanties growing into a robust slum.

Now that you are out of the situation, it is necessary not to do anything when it is not necessary to do anything.

+1 to that.
Thank you selfdrive, a lot has changed here, we moved to Pradhikaran in 2004, the slum has grown and so have the problems due to it, that is a hotbed for criminal activities and hence I did not want to escalate it any further. We do pay a hefty price in the name of development, and it is really surprising where do these people get all the support they need especially in fights and brawls. In a matter of minutes they have at least 3-4 bikes coming to their 'rescue'. A couple of months back, I saw a huge group of boys on bikes (around 20-25 bikes) carrying sticks and rods, all with their faces covered roaming sector 27 apparently looking for someone, I was standing on the road, these guys had no fear, I saw a patrolling cop after a while and I updated him on the same, don't know what he did, but later near Akurdi market, some guys were thrashed severely supposedly this group, bikes were lying on the road and there was good amount of police presence there.
These incidents leave a mark, and makes us wonder and think twice before getting into an argument.

Originally Posted by fiestarry

There is no shortage of such awful people in this country. I have had many scrapes with these sort of maniacs but I always assess my situation before taking the next step.

I share similar thoughts.

[Desmosedici]

For everyone who wanted to know about Car Cams etc, please refer to the below thread.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/gadget...ntour-etc.html

[NMS]

Hey Trojan,

One way like many of us suggested is to approach the authorities. However, since nothing had happened, I don't think police would take any action.
Plus like also suggested, the hooligans will have enough time to hang around and keep going to the police station. We dont have that kind of time !!
However, what you can do is next time as well when you visit your friends place just go as if nothing happened. Just be calm and don't notice the guys too much.

And trust me if they still manage to recognize you, simply go out and have a nice little chat with them. (Not a rough one though)
The more you try to avoid the situation, the more it can worsen.

[anjan_c2007]

I have read about the incident and have also been through many of the posts. Helplessness and a kind of fear psychosis seems to have set in on your mindset Trojan, as a result of the unfortunate incident.
That generally happens when we are with our family members (wife, aged parents and / or children) who all depend upon us for their safety and well-being. The matter would have taken a totally different turn had you been in your car with 4 or 5 well- built guys.
Many posts have expressed haplessness over seeking police help in this situation as in many cases they cannot be relied upon.
I will narrate an incident wherein a young colleague of mine during one hot summer noon,in 2011, at about 2.00 pm, was returning to the office from lunch, on his bike.Two outlaws confronted him on a deserted street and demanded his valuables. A slight resistance made them use their knife to scratch his chest and arm. He bled , got frightened and surrendered his purse and mobile, but later on insistence also lodged a FIR. As usual, the police did not take much cognizance. The matter was brought to my notice and then I suggested that rather than meet the Police Commissioner, we meet the local area MLA Mr Sudhakarrao Deshmukh. This was because the hooligans would emerge victorious and repeat their crime with many others. Mr Deshmukh known for his helping nature and clean image immediately called up the police station PI and wanted to know what had happened to the FIR no.---? I also contacted the Crime Reporter of The Hitavada who is my very good friend and told him about the incident.He reported the matter and it was in the newspaper. Mr Deshmukh, MLA, told the PI to arrest the criminal and that he wanted a compliance within 48 hours.The criminal was arrested and again I saw to it that it was reported in the newspapers. He is still behind the bars. My young colleague attended just one hearing before the Magistrate and the prosecution (Police and Public Prosecutor) are defending the criminal case.
So do not lose hope.Do not live with such a fear psychosis. You can also meet the local MLA, apprise him about the incident and seek his suggestions on how to go about the whole thing. Elected public figures, who are good-natured can surely be of help. They know every nook and corner of their constituencies very well.The police will have to play their proper role when confronted.

[lurker]

Gentlemen, what you are facing are the headwinds of a class war.

// Look at the types of people who take offence, men from slums in Indicas, buffalos & goats of a farmer left on the highway .. their way of upping their nose at the new developments in their locality and the nouveau riche using these facilities. The 100cc motorcycle rider who doesn't wish to live anymore. An opportunist taxi driver who takes advantage of the prevailing enivornment to get into a fight. //

All of these types symbolize a prevailing grievance in the masses against whom they perceive as rich and as their exploiters as also also vulnerable sections of those who exploit them and whom they perceive to be fair game.

Going to the police though prescribed is not a solution, except in situations where you are caught out near a police station because there is not staff in and around police stations at Salem at that hour. A few that are, are out on patrol duty and the only man available would be a sentry or duty constable who can't do *hit about anything apart from asking you to wait out till morning. Even toilet facilities would not be available as the sole toilet used by the Officer on duty would be locked by the station officer to prevent misuse. So good luck with that.

[deetee]

I personally think how Trojan has responded in that situation is very apt. One against five, even if that 'one' is brucelee, is not warranted unless cornered. I really appreciate the presence of mind you had then, Trojan.
In hindsight, those hooligans might have followed expecting to extort some money and probably some sadistic pleasure in harassing a soft and rich human (in their eyes). Given that their minds also might have been in exacerbated condition, chances are high that the incident is forgotten after a few days as they would have sought other sources of pleasure. Had they been hell bent on revenge or something, they would have traced you all the way back by any means. For they generally value nothing of their lives and have lots of time to dispose of.
Instead, if you had taken an offensive stance or dragged it on, it might have turned from an instinctive 'chance' chase to a vindictive gang war upon you.
What could have followed then is anybody's guess. Since roots of the problem are much deeper than what we can venture with our time and finances, better forget it and move on. For a change, try going to such places in a jeep (but does jeep outrun their indicas?)

[tazmaan]

I would like to mention a similar incident which happened with me 2 years back on Western Exp Hwy goregaon.

Refer pic below:-

I was traveling in my Brand new accord on the service road at speed of 20. I am followed by 2 autos. On the opposite side there is an auto traveling at similar speeds. Suddenly from behind the auto a bike with 4 people (Husband,Wife and 2 kids) decides to overtake the auto.

He sees my car coming, panics and brakes. The road being dusty the bike skids and all 4 of them fall and are dragged along with the bike. I brake hard and halt almost immediately. The bike stops good 10 feet away from my car. The dust settles, I lock all doors and windows.

By this time a crowd from the slums starts gathering. I can see the husband bleeding, both the kids bleeding from forehead and wife is alright.

Being worried about the kids, I lower my window a little and ask if everything is okay. The kids are crying aloud in the background, husband gets up and charges towards me. Starts yelling thok diya thok diya, kids are still on the road crying. The wife joins in and starts telling people ye badi gadi wale... blah blah... and says give money, the kids still lying on the road crying. By this time I have rolled up the windows, check my RVM and both the autos behind me have disappeared. I saw them going through a break in the median onto the highway. Also the auto the bike was trying to over take leaves.

I check the surroundings, check all RVM's put the car in R check for proximity of obstacles (may be kids) via sensor inputs, ask my wife to check the surroundings and then drive off in reverse.

By this time the husband picks up the helmet (which he was not wearing) and throws it at my car and wife twists the ORVM. The helmet hits the fender and breaks in 2 parts, I hear a thud, the ORVM folds all the way around and my heart sinks.

On reaching the break in the median, I put the car in drive and drive off. By this time the couple starts picking up stones and throw at the car but misses us. The kids are still lying on the road crying. We escape!

I go to the next junction and narrate the story to traffic police along with my wife. He pauses and says let it go I cant do anything go to the nearest police station. We had to attend a wedding so noted the officers name and left.

Now I could have waited and argued that it was not my fault, I was also worried that the slum people would jump in against me. My key witness all the autos had vanished. We are lucky that it didnt turn ugly and nor did I hit anyone while backing up (though I had double checked).

There was absolutely no damage to the fender and to the ORVM which snapped back in place. I have no Idea what happened to the bikers.

During the whole event my wife was very calm and that helped me keep calm.