Villagers on Bangalore-mysore highway are extorting money out of innocent drivers over hit-and-run accidents.
If you are driving on the Bangalore-Mysore highway, keep your fingers crossed and hope a hit-and-run accident has not claimed a life or maimed anyone on the road ahead. You, reaching the accident spot a few minutes later, may well be stopped, cheated and have a case filed against you by hordes of villagers who could extort a hefty compensation for an accident you are not even remotely connected with.
Villagers living on both sides of the Bangalore-Mysore state highway-17 between Maddur and Mandya are allegedly extorting money out of innocent motorists over victims of hit-and-run accidents. And the police remain mute spectators, merely playing out their clerical roles to file complaints against innocent drivers.
Interestingly, this issue was taken up (but not pursued) in the legislative council a day before it was adjourned sine die in the wake of the ‘porngate’ scandal breaking out in the assembly.
JD(S) MLC and former police officer, Abdul Azeem, had raised the question in the legislative council, seeking details of innocent motorists being targeted on highways in hit-and-run cases. But home minister R Ashoka had replied that no such case had come to his knowledge.
DNA learnt of at least two cases reported to Azeem in which innocent drivers were targeted by the villagers over accidents caused by some other motorists.
One case was that of 61-year-old MA Khan, retired general manager of Karnataka State Co-operative Apex bank, who is also the son of former MP and minister Maqsood Ali Khan, and his driver Ramesh. Another involved a cab driver Prakash. In both the cases, villagers forced the cars to stop and took the drivers to Mandya Rural police station to extort compensation amounts. The first case involved the death of a resident of Induvalu village near Mandya, while the other was over injury caused to a villager riding on a two-wheeler on the same stretch.
Azeem said that although just two cases were brought to his notice, there could easily be several more going unreported.
If you are in this mess: Call toll free police number 18004250100
For senior officers’ numbers, contact police control room 08022942111
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}