He shared the images from the car camera.
Bengaluru, the IT capital of India, is known for its unique work culture, which often results in gruelling schedule for a section of employees. But this time, Garden City is going viral for a different reason. A man living in Bengaluru has shared a scary incident on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that happened with his wife, whose car was chased by a group of men. The incident has sparked a debate on social media, with users sharing their own experiences.
In the now viral X post, user Srijan R Shetty wrote, "I've never felt unsafe in Bangalore-I know my privilege of being a Kannada-speaking male-but last Thursday night I felt how unsafe certain parts of the city are post-10 p.m. I've seen those horrific videos of fake accidents in Sarjapur where hooligans have tried to blackmail people in the car."
He added, "On November 8, my wife offered to drop off some other colleagues (2 females and one male), considering it was hard to get a cab from Sarjapur. Their car was chased down by a bunch of men for a few kilometers; she was smart enough to stop only on the main road and inform the cops as soon as possible."
Mr Shetty said the men even asked the occupants of the car to get down but her wife didn't comply. He also said that the car was hit by some tempo drivers, pressurising the woman and her colleagues to get down. "None of the bystanders helped the three women and a guy in the car."
In the face of adversity, his wife exhibited swift decision-making by pulling over on the main road and promptly alerting the police.
"If it hadn't been for her wits in calling the cops and then calling us and 10 of her friends to immediately join her at her location, the incident could have taken a different turn. This city deserves better than this; we need security, and we need it now. Sarjapur has been a hotspot for these incidents, and we need to figure out a solution to curb this menace," said Mr Shetty.
The post gained a lot of attention online with users sharing similar experiences.
"I've had about 4-5 similar incidents, either by myself or others. Same modus operandi. Dashcam came to the rescue for some. For some, going to the police station and arguing for hours avoided any misdemeanor. But it's scary on the roads, especially late at night. This 'local angle' is used the most," commented a user.
"If police reach out after 112 call, then this is not so much about "security" but instead about punishment for such crimes. Do register an FIR (not just a police complaint or NCR) so these criminals can be made an example of. If you need any support with this,please DM me," wrote another user.
Some users even tagged the Bengaluru police and it reacted asking about the place where the incident took place.
"Please provide specific area details and your contact details via DM," the police said on X.
In Bengaluru, there have been numerous incidents in the recent past following a similar pattern, where criminals attempted to extort money using fake incidents or staged vehicle crash cases.