Fri, May 21, 2010 at 11:47 AM
Dear Suncity Residents - I would like to inform you of a rather unpleasant
incident that happened with me last Monday, when I was returning home from
my office during daytime for lunch. As soon as I took the left turn from ORR
towards Suncity, two people on a black colored pulsar bike behind me started
honking wildly and came by side of the car, asking me to stop. I lowered my
glass window and they told me that I have caused an accident while on the
way and they have been trying to stop me by following me since then. After
this they stopped the bike in front of my car and I had to stop the car just
after Drapes View. I thought that there would have been a misunderstanding
of some sort since I didn't recall being involved in any accident or hit
while on my way. My intention was to talk to them and pacify them. As soon I
stepped out of the car, the guy driving the bike said that I had driven the
car over the foot of the person sitting on the pillion of the bike and that
his foot was badly injured. He then said that there is a huge crowd that has
gathered at the spot of the so called accident and I need to go back to that
spot to settle things. After this they came and forcibly sat inside the car,
leaving the bike outside. Bike driver who now sat on the front seat of my
car started threatening me by claiming that the person I have injured is the
younger brother of a local goon, Munianna and that he is not going to leave
me unharmed for this. I tried to reason with him and offered to take the
other person to hospital to treat any possible injury that might have
happened to him. He did not listen to me and went on with his threats, even
uttering intentions to harm my car, apartment and family if not complied to
his demands immediately. Sensing trouble, I tried to call my colleague back
at office at which he suddenly became violent and broke the rear view mirror
of the car. Their sheer audacity of doing this in broad daylight, immediate
damage to my car and continuous threatening by now led me to believe that
they were indeed real goons and I had got caught in their clutches. He
started demanding Rs 2 lakh as settlement for the injury to his friend. When
I said that I didn't have Rs 2 lakh, they asked me to get the money from the
ATM. I told them that I had only 15k in ATM and I cannot pay them Rs 2 lakh
at which they forced me to hand over my two gold rings and a gold chain.
They said that this is not enough and they need whatever money I had in ATM
plus another Rs 1.5 lakh. I was then forced to drive to the ATM with these
guys following me on bike and withdraw cash. I was unable to note down the
registration number of the bike as it was in Kannada. Thoughts of fleeing
away after hitting them with the car and then going to police or shouting to
gather crowd came to my mind but I decided against it as there wasn't any
use doing these things with goons, they would have waylaid me again and done
greater harm. I wanted to get out of the situation and hence I withdrew Rs
14,000 and gave it to them. As soon as I handed the money to them, they
asked me to follow them but then they fled away. At that time I realized
that this might be a gang operating for this very purpose and I had been one
of their victims.
I went to HSR layout police station immediately to lodge a FIR, the SI
refused to lodge one and instead took a written complaint without any
receipt. My repeat visit didn't yield any results as SI/Inspector would not
be present in the police station. Later on I came to know through various
sources including police that such kind of incidents are on the rise in
ORR/HSR Layout. The miscreants who looted me were on black colored Pulsar
bike with registration number plate in Kannada and were in mid thirties(one
stocky dark fellow and other was average build having wheatish complexion)
Please exercise caution even during daytime and do not fall in the trap of
these miscreants as I did. Its advisable not to stop the car for any unknown
person even during daytime irrespective of the reason given by them. Even if
you have to do this, drive the car to a place where you are comfortable and
have help available at hand. I would appreciate if anybody from EC can help
me with getting the FIR lodged in HSR police station.
Please be safe.
Vineet
