Team-BHP - Victim of Road Rage + Extortion!
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Does extortion fall under this? As the following incident might belong to a different thread.

Time: 4:30 pm, yesterday.
Place: Ashoka Pillar, Jayanagar

Incident: I had parked my car at the side of the road near the Ashoka Pillar, facing RV Road. I had wished to take a U-urn and face Ashoka Pillar and go towards Double-Road. After looking both ways, I had decided to proceed with the U-turn. At that very moment, a black Suzuki Samurai ridden by possibly the biggest ding-bat known to mankind, went straight into my drivers door!

When I was taking the U-turn, I'd noticed that this idiot was a good 50 feet away and assumed that he would either stop, or, just like all other two-wheelers, go around me. But I was wrong! This guy decided to go straight into me and, honestly, it was at crawling speeds, so he didn't fall of the bike, and absolutely nothing happened to my car.

Victim of Road Rage + Extortion!-untitled.jpg

But this man decided to take it to another level. When I calmly tried to explain to him that I would park my car at the side of the road, he didn't budge and when I tried to move my car forward, he refused to back up so I could make the turn. He got off his bike, stuck his arm into my window that was 1/4th open, unlocked the door and tried to pull my keys out.

Despite repeated attempts, he refused to understand that we're holding up traffic in the middle of the road, and he did not allow me to park my car at the side of the road. In fact, he took his helmet and decided to swing at my car! And that move got me out of my car.

By this time, a crowd had gathered and they calmed the nutter down while I parked my car at the side of the road. At this point, he made such a scene in front of everyone, he spoke in Kannada and kept shouting that I tried to run him over! There were about twenty autorickshaw drivers who backed him, and I was outnumbered, big time.

At first, he claimed that his bike had been damaged, but on inspection, it was certain that there wasn't even a scratch. He made a couple of calls and kept shouting that his front fork had bent. At first, I told him that we will go to the nearest police station and sort out the issue there, but that didn't work with him. I even suggested that i would undertake the repairs, if any, at an authorized service station, but after some thinking, he decided to get violent.

There was no evidence of an accident at all. My door and the paint on it was intact, without a single scratch. His bike was perfectly alright. It was, remember, at crawling speeds.

Because I wasn't ready to cough up any money, he ran across the road with his helmet in one hand and threatened to swing it onto my windshield. At this point, I had lost my cool and succumbed to the extortion.

The man began to physically harass me. He tried to stick his hand into my pocket and take my phone. He tried to snatch my wallet. And the sad part is, in the view of everyone, no one came forward to help. Everyone present there sided him, purely because he was a two wheeler involved in an incident with a four-wheeler.

10 minutes, and 450 rupees later, he disappeared.

All this happened so fast, it's all a blur to me now. Not for a second did it strike me that I should call the Police hot-line '100'.

Anyway,

The issue was taken to the Sidapura Police Station behind Nimhans, where a friend and his father had accompanied me to file a complaint. We got hold of the register number of the culprit and traced his residence to Maratahalli. I should get a call today from the police station, where he will be kept for interrogation, hopefully.

I really hope the police follow up with this, although, it's highly unlikely, since such cases are dime-a-dozen and will be brushed off like it's nothing.

If anyone comes across a black and green Suzuki Samurai bearing the number KA03 EB 9986, please report it to the nearest police station. Here is a picture of the same.

Victim of Road Rage + Extortion!-21122010052.jpg

Apparently, according to the police, there have been several similar cases of spot extortion that had taken place within the vicinity and it'

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Now in hindsight, I should have let him swing at my car and I should have let him do whatever he pleases, as that would be more evidence against him. I should have stayed my ground. But in the spur of the moment, and in all the commotion and pressure from over two dozen auto fellows and bikers, I just gave in.

My Mistake:People, please learn from my mistakes. I don't want others to make the same mistakes I did. Do not panic, even if the other party gets violent. Let them do whatever they want to you or your car. At the end of the day, it's pure evidence, with with you could testify in court if need be.

This was one helluva experience for me. A real reality check. It literally woke me up and reminded me of how horrible, selfish and money-hungry people can be.

After reading the title of the post, I opened it and the first thing I checked was your location. I had a sinking feeling that it will be Bangalore. And there it was.

Lets face it. IT people are the easy game. And there are people out there trying to make a fast buck.

I think that what you did was right. If he had smashed your windscreen you would also cough up around 1000 bucks with insurance chipping in with the rest.

As far as evidence is concerned, people get away with murder.
Don't worry. I have full faith in our police force. Nothing will happen to the gentleman.

I might sound sarcastic but I feel that closer one is to truth easier the things are to understand. And this is the reality my friend.

Three lines for you:
1. Its not a fair world.
2. There are rulers and ruled.
3. These things happen.

My blood boils to read such stories of day light robbery.
You should have belted the day lights out of this nut.
But thinking practically,you did the right thing.May be just calling the cops first thing would have been a good choice.

And always,carry something with you for your safety.As a tyre company ad states "the streets are filled with idiots".We've got to take care of ourselves.

If you go to police, they will take 1000 from you and 100 or 200 from him. I think the mantra is to know your territory and follow the natural insitnct of "fight or flight". If you can fight the man do it or run from the scene. Police in such small incidents generally wont do a thing than squeeze some quick buck.

However, I understand your agony. I had been there and wanted to do a hundred things after the incident, but I moved on. Even now I get furious when I think about my incident, but then I did not act then and cannot do anything about it now. Hope you get off it soon!

Hey Suhas,

I am sorry for you man. I am shocked to understand this episode with you.

But i am greatly surprised that you being aware that these are recurring in Bangalore, got submitted to the situation.

The reason for the guy to go crazy at you is that you have shown the guy you are weak, sorry to say this , but this is the fact. You seem to be a soft and nice person. It does work to be arrogant and tough on the road to an extent.

I would say that it all got over with just Rs.450. Be happy that you are not hurt ( i doubt if he would have dared to do it).

I agree that Crime are many, dont you think its the duty of the police to see that there are no crime happening in the city in the first place, forget solving a committed crime. I always seen that these guys are a laughing stock in our country. I wouldnt be surprised that they got a share in what you shelled out.

Autorickshaw drivers are the guys who do all the time pass with such things on the road. Call them for hire, they dont. instead that make auto stands at every nook and corner and keep yapping the whole day about what GOD only knows.

By the way, what are you going to do carrying a Slugger with you?

Do you want to fight like these cheapos on the road. Forget it, we guys have better things to focus on or even think of getting invovled in these dirty things. There wouldn't be any difference between we and the other cheapos.

Mind your business & thank GOD for helping you out of the situation with Rs.450.

Money, i am sure you can get back, but what if something had gone wrong to you physically. I am sure you have a family who would have run around if something had gone wrong to you. I am happy that you are well & good. " JAAN HAI THO JAHAAN HAI"

Let this bad episode pass & focus on better things instead.

I like a famous proverb which goes in all situation " PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE" , so be alert from the time you get in to your vehicle and avoid getting into trouble in the first place.

Quote:

Originally Posted by suhaas307 (Post 2183002)
Does extortion fall under this?

Yes, it does.
However,
Quote:

Originally Posted by suhaas307 (Post 2183002)
I had parked my car at the side of the road near the Ashoka Pillar, facing RV Road. I had wished to take a U-urn and face Ashoka Pillar and go towards Double-Road. After looking both ways, I had decided to proceed with the U-turn. At that very moment, a black Suzuki Samurai ridden by possibly the biggest ding-bat known to mankind, went straight into my drivers door!

When I was taking the U-turn, I'd noticed that this idiot was a good 50 feet away and assumed that he would either stop, or, just like all other two-wheelers, go around me. But I was wrong! This guy decided to go straight into me and, honestly, it was at crawling speeds, so he didn't fall of the bike, and absolutely nothing happened to my car.

Based on your description, the motorcycle guy's driving was not defensive, but the accident itself seems to be your fault.

Too bad but these things are prevalent everywhere, moreso if you cant speak the local language.

I do not know what you have written in your complaint, but you should insist that he threatened you and your property (Car) and took the money forcefully. Did not allow you to move from the road nor call anyone.

But I appreciate your filing a complaint, most people let it go as a bad experience but dont realize that they are encouraging the extortonist by not filing a complaint.

Quote:

Originally Posted by download2live (Post 2183034)
After reading the title of the post, I opened it and the first thing I checked was your location. I had a sinking feeling that it will be Bangalore. And there it was.


3. These things happen.

Thanks download2live.

Bangalore is losing it's peace-loving tag very quickly. It's true.

As for point 3, this is exactly what I'm telling myself over and over again!

Quote:

Originally Posted by hallik9 (Post 2183048)
My blood boils to read such stories of day light robbery.
You should have belted the day lights out of this nut.
But thinking practically,you did the right thing.May be just calling the cops first thing would have been a good choice.

And always,carry something with you for your safety.As a tyre company ad states "the streets are filled with idiots".We've got to take care of ourselves.

Thanks hallik.

Quote:

Originally Posted by anilisanil (Post 2183059)
If you go to police, they will take 1000 from you and 100 or 200 from him. I think the mantra is to know your territory and follow the natural insitnct of "fight or flight". If you can fight the man do it or run from the scene. Police in such small incidents generally wont do a thing than squeeze some quick buck.

However, I understand your agony. I had been there and wanted to do a hundred things after the incident, but I moved on. Even now I get furious when I think about my incident, but then I did not act then and cannot do anything about it now. Hope you get off it soon!

That's very true. The police are the biggest extortionists out there, as mentioned by others as well.

Thank you Anil.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nandans2005 (Post 2183070)
Hey Suhas,

I am sorry for you man. I am shocked to understand this episode with you...

...The reason for the guy to go crazy at you is that you have shown the guy you are weak, sorry to say this , but this is the fact. You seem to be a soft and nice person. It does work to be arrogant and tough on the road to an extent...

It's true. When it comes to brawls, I try and stay away as much as possible. There is no point getting involved especially if physical assault is on the cards. I am a soft person and unfortunately, it was used against me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nandans2005 (Post 2183070)
...By the way, what are you going to do carrying a Slugger with you?...

...Do you want to fight like these cheapos on the road. Forget it, we guys have better things to focus on or even think of getting invovled in these dirty things. There wouldn't be any difference between we and the other cheapos...

Like I said before, I would never get involved in any physical duel. The slugger would just give me some sort of security and safety and I would intend to use it only in self-defense.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nandans2005 (Post 2183070)
..Let this bad episode pass & focus on better things instead.

I like a famous proverb which goes in all situation " PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE" , so be alert from the time you get in to your vehicle and avoid getting into trouble in the first place.

I shall keep this in mind. Very true!

Quote:

Originally Posted by carboy (Post 2183076)
Yes, it does.
However,


Based on your description, the motorcycle guy's driving was not defensive, but the accident itself seems to be your fault.

Well, there are different versions to this. And if you were witness to this, you would side me, and I'm quite certain about this. Apparently, this was planned and this isn't the first time it's happening in the vicinity.

He was very far away from me when I was taking the U turn. He had definitely seen me, but he refused to stop or go around me. Instead, he went straight into me and stood right there, not letting me move from the middle of the road, thus blocking the entire road causing traffic!

The problem with two wheelers is that they do not like stopping or coming to a halt. They prefer to continue. And that's what led to the accident. If he had put his ego up where the sun don't shine, it would have been a different story.

Besides, I stopped and let him make his move.

For the record, especially for my age, I am a very slow and careful driver. I have all my mirrors open and positioned correctly. I wear my seat belt and make sure that everyone else in my car does.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dadu (Post 2183122)
Too bad but these things are prevalent everywhere, moreso if you cant speak the local language.

I do not know what you have written in your complaint, but you should insist that he threatened you and your property (Car) and took the money forcefully. Did not allow you to move from the road nor call anyone.

But I appreciate your filing a complaint, most people let it go as a bad experience but dont realize that they are encouraging the extortonist by not filing a complaint.

Dadu Sir,

It's true, my local language is weak and That's another mistake I'd forgotten to point out.

And yes, Sir. I have mentioned very clearly that the man threatened me and my property (Car) and took the money forcefully. Did not allow me to move from the road nor call anyone.

Quote:

Originally Posted by suhaas307 (Post 2183137)
The problem with two wheelers is that they do not like stopping or coming to a halt. They prefer to continue. And that's what led to the accident.

It may have been a planned thing, I agree. I am not supporting his behavior

However, at the beginning, your car was stationary & his vehicle was moving. He was moving straight on the lane & you merged into his lane. So the due diligence should have been from your side. As per your post, he was also moving slowly - i.e. he didn't speed up to hit you - he just didn't stop or slow down. In such a case, technically the 'at-fault' person is the driver of the car which merged into his lane. There is no two ways about it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by carboy (Post 2183168)
It may have been a planned thing, I agree. I am not supporting his behavior

However, at the beginning, your car was stationary & his vehicle was moving. He was moving straight on the lane & you merged into his lane. So the due diligence should have been from your side. As per your post, he was also moving slowly - i.e. he didn't speed up to hit you - he just didn't stop or slow down. In such a case, technically the 'at-fault' person is the driver of the car which merged into his lane. There is no two ways about it.

That's true, I guess. I did not know about this. And it is my fault for moving into his lane. I shouldn't have done that. But this is India, and I know it's not an excuse, but this is the norm. It's a free-for-all.

Its my opinion that very few in India drive with great care & caution.

Idea here is, not get into trouble at all in the first place.

In that way, i think Suhaas should have waited for the 2 wheeler to pass by. But it always happens that one tries to do something without thinking that a silly thing would cause great injury emotionally.

But as you have said and having seen how broad this road is, it would have been quite difficult to resist the temptation to complete the turn, assuming the two wheeler would go around you as most of the 2 wheelers do.

It takes one to experience what it is like to go through such harassment on the street. In India, there is no value or respect for human life and emotions. Atleast, this is what i have experienced. GOD forbid that this happens to anybody.

In such incidents, how about rolling all windows up, keeping the doors locked from inside (which should be done at all times anyway) and then record the video if your phone has a camera?
I have done that once, in a similar incident. That biker kept abusing me and kept punching the car door (but Palio's steel is thick I guess, there were no dents ;-) ). After a while, people told him to move his bike. The moment he did, I drove away. He then managed to catch up. But probably in a hurry, he forgot wear his helmet. Fortunately, I saw a police inspector and a constable nearby, so I went there and stopped. This poor guy realised that the cops would impose a fine on him for riding without helmet, and fled.

But you can't do it with autorickshaw drivers. And you can't do it when your car is damaged. All you can do is, call the police and wait and hope that the mob doesn't start thrashing your car.

Feeling sorry for what happened to you, Suhaas.
Yes, it seems he intentionally hit your car, since he saw your car turning well in advance and did't stop. And this is a good reason for you to console yourself.

Fortunately, you chose not to get physical. If you did, situation would have become much much worse. The mob, auto drivers and everyone would have turned against you and that would have resulted in injuries and damages to the car. You should actually feel happy for it didnt happen. You just lost 450 bucks. Forget it !!!

Kudos to you for taking it up to the Police.
BTW, how did you manage to take a photo in such situation?

Quote:

By this time, a crowd had gathered and they calmed the nutter down while I parked my car at the side of the road. At this point, he made such a scene in front of everyone, he spoke in Kannada and kept shouting that I tried to run him over! There were about twenty autorickshaw drivers who backed him, and I was outnumbered, big time.
Suhaas, Looking at the situation IMO you did the right thing.
No matter what action police takes one need to make a formal complaint with them.
Remember not knowing local language make things go against you in such situation.

Just forget about the incident and move on!!

Suhaas,

I was shocked to know that such things happen in broad daylight and that too in metros like Bangalore. Feel really sad for you. I would not advise you to sit back and pat yourselves for getting out of such a sticky situation coz this might happen with someone else. Today you were an easy victim, tomorrow the same biker would do it with some one else too.

I think you should have stood ground and waited for the police to arrive and take things from there. I do understand that in such circumstances it is very difficult to keep your cool and things may flare with you getting pushed to wrong side of the law which may be awkard when you are with family. But if we start submitting to such demands then I think we are meekly submitting ourselves.

In no way I am blaming you for reacting to the situation but maybe things would have been better had you showed resilience. Believe me when I say the above, since I have gone through something similar and do sympatize.


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