Many fall target to extortion after staged road rage cases in Bengaluru

Miscreants are resorting to road rage to forcibly extort money from victims, resembling a recurring crime pattern.

Traffic police personnel said these people position themselves on two-wheelers at traffic junctions and target potential victims travelling in cars. Upon receiving the green signal, they intentionally collide or strike the car, verbally abusing the occupants and provoking the driver to engage in a confrontation. They then demand money from the victim, a police officer responsible for traffic management on Queens Road said.

A Twitter user shared his recent encounter at the Queens Road signal while waiting to turn towards Alliance Francaise.

On Sunday (July 2), we were waiting for the traffic signal to turn green on the Queens Road signal, turning towards Alliance Francaise. After turning, one guy on an Activa stopped us aggressively and started accusing us that our car had gone over his leg.

— Pranay Kotasthane (@pranaykotas) July 9, 2023

After making the turn, a person riding a Honda Activa “aggressively” stopped him and accused him of running over his foot. “I knew I wasn’t at fault, but I apologised. He grew more aggressive and hurled expletives at me. I kept my calm and moved forward. After following for some distance, he let us go,” he said.

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The user further disclosed a similar incident involving the same individual on Wheeler Road two days later.

Recognising it as a fraudulent act, the user managed to drive towards nearby traffic policemen, causing the individual to flee.

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Other people responded to the tweet, sharing their own similar experiences in the city.

A policeman overseeing a traffic signal in Koramangala noted that such incidents are on the rise. “It happens at signals where police are rarely deployed. The miscreants confirm that no police is around before staging these incidents,” he said.

Another policeman revealed that these crimes often go unreported as victims tend to pay up on the spot.

Policemen advised people to avoid engaging in fights with strangers or lowering their car windows. Instead, they recommended driving to the nearest police station to file a complaint. They also suggested installing dash cameras in vehicles as a deterrent against such miscreants.