Chennai: Stringent police, who had, of late, started to arrest and register cases against rash driving students and drag racers, are yet to find answers to racing youngsters in the city, who are going around maiming other innocuous motorists.
The racers who ran amok on the night hours have started to race in broad daylight, that too on ever-busy arterial Anna Salai. In one such drag race, on Saturday, 17-year-old P. Vikram (17) of Baruva Nagar Teynampet died after ramming into the centre median on Anna Salai.
On June 4, the police conducted a surprise search near Thiru.Vi.Ka Bridge in Adyar and arrested four persons including a juvenile. The police also registered 42 cases regarding the drag race and seized 74 vehicles on June 11 night. “On June 17, 10 persons were arrested for conducting drag race in Koyambedu and seven persons were arrested in Ennore,” a press release said.
According to police, the accident took place at around 4 pm when youngsters in at least seven bikes went racing from on Anna Salai from Teynampet. “When they crossed Spencer Plaza, two bikes came in contact with each other while moving at a higher speed and Vikram’s KTM Duke bike lost balance and skidded on the road. Both Vikram and pillion rider Logeshwaran (17) of Perambur were thrown off the bike and both of them fell on the median,” the police said.
While fellow racers escaped from the spot with their two-wheelers, other motorists rushed the duo to Government Royapettah Hospital by an auto-rickshaw.
“But the doctors at the hospital declared Vikram brought dead and referred Logeshwaran to Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital as he sustained grievous injuries on the head. Anna Square police have registered a case and further investigation is on.
Mechanics, shop owners likely behind races?
Although the police claimed that there is no illegal racing club in the city to conduct the drag races, sources suggest that some mechanic, spare parts and helmet shop owners are behind the unorganised races.
“There is no inputs or complaints regarding the functioning of illegal racing clubs in the city. If any such organisers operate in the city, severe action will be taken against them,” a senior police official said.
The sources also said that the bike mechanics, spare parts shop owners and helmet shop owners, who would have direct contact with the owners of the superbikes, are behind the races and they are unorganised. “They drag youngsters into racing and most of the youngsters are taking part in this for the pride,” the sources added.
Meanwhile, the police are mulling to register cases against the parents of racers, who had let the minor to drive two-wheeler without a valid license as the city police had recently announced that the cases would be registered against the parents who let their minor wards to drive vehicles.
The police had already registered a case against V. Meena (40) for letting her minor son drive, who and rammed a man to death April 4 near Thirumangalam. The accident also claimed the boy’s life.
