Students Arrested For Stunts On Expressway In Mercedes Benz C-Class, Mahindra Scorpio [Video]
Getting to see people stick their heads out through the sunroofs of speeding vehicles isn't rare on Indian roads. In some cases, they go crazy and do reckless stunts which not only puts them at risk but poses a threat to public safety as well. Gurugram police have now booked four students who performed reckless driving on Dwarka Expressway after videos of the same went viral.
Who Were Arrested?
Video evidence of the act surfaced over a week ago. After it went viral, the cops could track down the offenders and get them arrested on Sunday. Both technical and human intelligence were used in this process- said the police spokesperson. The arrested individuals have been identified as Pushpendra, Rohit, Tarun, and Chetan. All four of them are students, with ages varying from 19 to 25.
Post the arrest, the students were made to kneel down and make an apology to the public, describing the crime they had committed. They can be seen making a promise to never repeat these stunts again. This was filmed and later shared on various social media handles.
In cases such as these, the offenders are usually charged with sections 279, 336 IPC, and Sec 192 of the M.V. Act. It is, however, not clear if the students here have been booked under the same.
What Did They Do?
In the video, we see a Mahindra Scorpio and an older generation Mercedes Benz C Class being driven on the Dwarka Expressway. The Mercedes is being driven on the right lane, and the Scorpio on the left. Both cars were being filmed from a vehicle that was driving in front of them.
The Mercedes has its driver-side window and sunroof open. Two men are seen sitting on the roof, sticking the upper halves of their bodies out. They are both seated in a highly unsafe posture. Despite being vulnerable, they are seen swaying to some music that's being played in the car.
The Scorpio on the other hand, was driving with one of its doors open at some point in time. Loud music was being played inside, and we could even see the driver pop his head out and talk to the camera. All this action took place in broad daylight and reportedly near the Bajghera police station. The expressway had other vehicles around. The reckless driving put the lives of those around, at risk.
The students risked their own lives as well. If the Mercedes had to brake suddenly, the two men on its roof would have lost balance. This could have rendered them vulnerable to being run over by the car itself!
Not A One-Off Case!
It is no secret that sunroof is a highly desirable feature among car and SUV buyers in India. Considering the demand, many manufacturers are now offering it even on budget models. It is, however, disheartening that many a time, the feature ends up being misused by people such as these.
In many cases, these sunroof stunts are performed to create content for use on social media. People think it to be heroic to film these, and share on various platforms. They would, in fact, do anything to gain social media fame.
In previous incidents, we saw a man sit on the roof of a moving Hyundai Verna, man sitting on the roof of a speeding Mahindra XUV300, a tourist having a joy ride on a moving Maruti Brezza's roof, and a Noida man making Instagram reels by sitting on a moving car's roof. In some of these cases, the offenders were either arrested or fined heavily.