[zaks]

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

This has happened to someone (not disclosing company name) and thereafter an advisory sent out. Here are the details, readers are advised to b cautious. Text below is verbatim sender who faced the situation.

He further asked me to come out of the vehicle. When I refused, he started banging on my vehicle with his hand and his blue helmet. He even tried to break my front RHS window and also tried to open the door.
...
...
He once again tried to break my RHS window and also tried to open the door, where he again failed (once again due to the security system in the car). He tried to pick up a stone, but could not find any other on the road. I immediately backed my car and overtook him and took a u-turn after just 150 meters into the service road and entered our office campus. During all the commotion, I could not note down the vehicle registration number.


Note from the Team-BHP Support Team: Post moved. Please search before creating new threads !

If this happened in the broad daylight what were the passersby doing?

[mempheS.D]

Originally Posted by zaks

If this happened in the broad daylight what were the passersby doing?

Not hurting your personal sentiment at the least, but how many of us actually dare and standup to issues like this? It's only the courageous few.

[sunishsamuel]

To me every city in India poses some challenge or other. I keep praying and that is my strength.

My team member who reports to me and is a senior in the industry happened to lose his chain in front of RMZ ecospace, Bellandur, Bangalore couple of months back. He was coming out from the campus on his bike and a guy suddenly jumps in front of him, and both falls. Before he realized and got up, the chain was gone. He was wearing a helmet - still the guy who fell down after being hit by the bike managed to snatch the chain and flee.

Some people told they saw the guy getting on to a bike etc. No one noticed number, model of the bike etc. This was around 9.30-10.00pm on a week day and there are enough security guards at the gate (i never found them useful for anything, sorry to say).

A complaint was not lodged though !

--------------------------------------------------------

I have started noticing a few young boys not fat but lean and well built, chewing pan or smoking standing in front of the campus gate watching people. Not sure if i am getting too suspicious. Have reported this to the necessary folks and hope someone checks !

Further, please do not expect anyone to help you when in trouble. Its not that nobody wants to but the way things are ! Even the low life's know that 50 Rs. is enough to get out of a case, and having seen an incident where a low life managed to escape the police by paying a 50Rs. note, i just can't stop saying this. No offense meant !

[mayankjha1806]

Originally Posted by zaks

If this happened in the broad daylight what were the passersby doing?

I have no idea, as i am not knowledgeable enough on the actual situation, but what i can guess is, its a rarity for anyone to stop, even when traffic is heavy. So for example i have seen two folks throwing punches at each other on the road, common sense in me says i should step out and help (and i really want to), but who knows, these days the guy with the good intentions and no way involved with the incident can also get beaten up, also with a lady and a daughter in the car you sometimes do get slightly restricted, and you are free to call it a bad attitude (as even i myself would call it the same).

[INNOWAGON_CL]

If they try to threaten you or manhandle you, keep a pepper spray as a defense and use it properly and carefully if necessary. Or chilly powder.

It is also available in a aerosol canister under the brand name of “Armour- Chilly pepper spray”. Read the instructions label before purchase. It is portable and can be sprayed on the face of the attacker.

It causes irritation and burning sensation in the eyes of the attacker and this will give time to move away from the attacker at the earliest. It does not cause damage to the eyes of the attacker.

[torquecurve]

Chilly/Pepper spray is all okay, but will require you to open the door/roll down window to use. There are two forms of defence which you can use, passive and active.

As Passive defence the first line is having your windows closed. If you are worried about FE dont use the aircon and just keep the blower on. Also a good quality Sunfilm does help as a safety feature as the glass will not smash when the miscreant throws a stone. The sunfilm will stop the stone from hitting you and you can make a getaway. Keep a flashlight in your driver door pocket. At night, you can flash it into the attackers face (eyes) and he will be blinded temporarily (15-25 seconds) allowing you to getaway. This works pretty well even through the glass with film.

As active defence, and if I may add, this is to be used ONLY in the case of an extreme emergency, use pepper spray. Other forms of active safety include keeping a catapult with marbles in your car. It is perfectly legal and very effective to about 20 feet. (more if you practise). Make it a point to practice it a couple of times a week. (weekend fun!). A well aimed marble is excellent defence. I also carry a I card pulley (the ones which you clip on your belt) which has a metal chain and the pulley body is also metal. It has a key ring at one end (where you put your Icard). If it comes to a fist fight, a swing of this is enough to bring down the person, it does not break and is easy to carry around.

Above all, try to avoid confrontation and have an escape map in your mind. Remember, your car is not more important than your body.

Also, ask your bank for two cards (debit). You can decide the limit of the second card (2K per day?). Keep this in your wallet. Your other card (which can have more cash) may be kept in a secure location (laptop bag, locked glovebox, etc) when you drive. In case you are mugged and have to go to the ATM to withdraw cash you will not be able to withdraw more than 2K or so with your secondary card (which you have in the wallet).

[kartikk]

Not to create a scare but,

A similar incident happened to an office colleague of mine about a month ago, he was going home from work, just after Silkboard, next to the bus stop going towards BTM, the left side has a small lane a few hundred mts from the busstop, its like a service lane there is even an ATM there. It was around 7:30- 8pm 2-3 guys on 2 bikes blocked his Nano, forced him into the lane, one of them took a huge stone, which my friend thinks he was carrying with him, threating to throw on the windshield. All this is happening during peak traffic on the road. (I mean you know how ORR is during eveings) They made him withdraw 5K cash and left all his belongings. All happening within a few mins and he was unable to react, he just froze and before he realized everything was over. Lucky that he wasnt hurt or such. Later reported to the Madiwala Police station, they showed some photographs, FIR logged etc. The police came back saying 3 more incidents like this happened in the city on the same day and the amount too was 5K and they are looking into the matter with lot of seriousness, but nothing after that.

The poor guy has just moved to the city with a new job, recently married and when such things happen its just a sad helpless feeling.

[lambuhere1]

Originally Posted by torquecurve

A well aimed marble is excellent defence. I also carry a I card pulley (the ones which you clip on your belt) which has a metal chain and the pulley body is also metal. It has a key ring at one end (where you put your Icard). If it comes to a fist fight, a swing of this is enough to bring down the person, it does not break and is easy to carry around.

Torque, Little education on I card pulley might be of great help

[amitoj]

I fell prey to the oldest trick in the world. I have never kept my phone on the front seat, until today. And that's when the crooks struck. I was at the St John's traffic light, and had just started moving when i heard a bang on the right side. Instinctively looked out, to see a man retrieving his slipper from under my car. I moved on, and realized that I have been duped only when my GPS said "connection to phone lost" , close to Sukh Sagar.

Sigh. You can not let your guard down ever. You can not sit back and enjoy a drive without a care. Better to drive with the ac on and windows rolled up, all the time. That is a lesson for me and warning for others.

Cheers (or not)
Amitoj

[rohan_iitr]

Sorry about the theft.

I had also reported a similar incident that happened to my colleagues. They heard a bang and all 4 of them got down from the car (How stupid of them). Needless to say, a mobile phone kept on the dashboard got flicked.

Originally Posted by amitoj

Better to drive with the ac on and windows rolled up

... and doors locked from inside.

Rohan

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

Sorry about the theft.

Thanks man.
I just cant stop feeling guilty for letting this happen. If i had not let my guard down for a moment, it would not have happened. I know I should tell myself that I am the victim here of some lowlife's actions, but that does nothing to comfort me.

Anyway, I thought at least i should put it up here as a fresh reminder to others to always be on the lookout.

[mayankjha1806]

@amitoj, sorry to hear about this, but there have been few more incidents like these reported recently. One of my acquaintances lost his laptop while in the car near the signal recently. Unfortunately he did pay the price for the auto unlock feature on his car and forgot to lock it again when he turned off the engine at the signal.

Wonder how these folks figure out a soft target and when to make a move, as from outside it would not be easy to figure out if the doors are locked/unlocked before making an attempt.

[drmohitg]

What do the fellow travellers on the road do in such a case? Flicking something from your car in broad daylight and dense traffic area like the St john signal is really daring and got to be difficult for the thieves. Can't someone, on seeing a stranger appear from nowhere and flick your phone, shout or honk which would surely make the miscreant panic. Sorry for your loss man but as a habit I always drive with the AC on and doors locked.

[ron_9191]

I think much of whatever we hear hear just shows how inefficient cops in Bangalore are. And it is not the department's fault instead, the government that is living in the dark ages. When the cops should be busy patrolling the streets, they are literally asked by the government to go around and shut down the entire town by 11:30 PM. How ridiculous can that be in the silicon valley of our country where stuff run 24/7??

Since everything runs 24/7, I am not really surprised by what happens in broad daylight. I pity the victims but to most of the people who are not from Bangalore and just happen to be in the city just because their career took them here, there is nothing much anyone can do. Because 1. language is a barrier, 2. nobody knows what will happen next.

I think it is high time the 11:30PM curfew should go for everything except bars. Whats happening now is that from 10:15 PM almost all the cops on night duty are busy forcing people to pull down their shutters and collect Rs.10 from every shop they visit. And this is the time frame when most of these crimes takes place.

[animdas]

Originally Posted by amitoj

I fell prey to the oldest trick in the world.

sad to know this, amitoj.

I always drive with AC on, windows closed and doors locked. I hope I can continue to do this without a miss!
Only i get worried at the petrol pump, because I keep my laptop behind my seat on the car floor, and petrol pump is the only place where sometimes I unlock all doors.