Local Lootings

Yet another time, this is a forward in email. Hope this helps someone...

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.