The dashcam in the couple's car captured the incident, which came to light after a YouTuber posted it on X, tagging ADGP Alok Kumar.
One of the assailants gesturing at the couple. (Screengrab)
The Karnataka police have launched a probe into an alleged instance of road rage in which a group of four men showered profanities on another man in his wife’s presence almost two months ago.
The incident came to light after the man’s friend, a YouTuber, put up the visuals of the harassment captured on the car’s dashcam.
The alleged incident occurred on the road cutting through Bandipur near the Kerala border around 6.30 am on 17 June, according to the date stamp on the video.
The man, Arun (name changed on request), was proceeding towards his native place — Malappuram in Kerala — when a Mahindra Thar bearing the registration number KA-04-NB-5716 overtook and intercepted his car.
What would have been an idyllic drive on the scenic Mysuru-Ooty route via the Bandipur and Mudumalai forests and the verdant Ooty-Nilambur stretch turned into a nightmare for the couple.
Arun has been living with his wife in South Bengaluru. The couple left for Malappuram in their Renault Duster.
One of the assailants stepping on Arun’s car and warning them. (Screengrab)
Arun said there was a long queue of vehicles near the forest checkpost.
“Vehicles were moving at a slow pace when a Mahindra Thar tried to jump the queue and squeeze in front of me. But I stayed close to the vehicle in front of us,” he told South First.
The checkpost opened at 6 am since night travel has been banned through the Bandipur forest.
“The rest is there for all to see in our dashcam recording,” said Arun, adding that the gang tailed him for around 2 km.
The dashcam footage showed Arun overtaking a Tempo Traveller while his wife was heard asking about the people tailing them.
The SUV overtook Arun, slowed down, and stopped in the middle of the road. Incidentally, vehicles are not allowed to stop on the forest road.
Four men alighted the SUV and rushed towards Arun’s car. When asked the reason, they turned abusive. They appeared to get further enraged when told that they were being recorded on the dashcam.
The other two assailants. (Screengrab)
The men manhandled Arun, who was still seated in the car. On learning that the dashcam was on, the SUV’s driver returned to his vehicle while his aides continued the assault.
Arun said they tried to smash the dashcam and take away his car key.
One man, clad in a white T-shirt, was seen with a foot on the Duster’s bonnet, and showing the middle finger, despite a woman sitting in the car. The men wanted to know why Arun gestured at them.
Showing an obscene gesture or uttering words that insult the modesty of a woman is punishable under Section 509 of the Indian Penal Code. If found guilty, the accused could be punished with simple imprisonment that could extend up to three years, and/or a fine.
After warning Arun not to mess with them again, the men drove away. During the assault, several other vehicles were seen riding through the road shoulder since the Thar was blocking the road.
The couple continued their journey and asked others on the way if there was a police station nearby. They were told that they were near the Tamil Nadu border and the officials at the checkpost would be of little help.
Arun subsequently shared the video footage with a YouTuber friend — he runs the channel ThirdEye — who posted it on his X (previously Twitter) handle with a description and tagged Additional Director General of Police (Traffic and Road Safety) Alok Kumar on Sunday, 6 August.
Kumar forwarded the video to the Gundlupet police inspector Parashivamurthy, who contacted Arun with the help of the YouTuber.
The police took up a complaint from him and registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the four men under IPC Sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 323 (assault), 279 (rash and negligent driving), 504 (intentional insult provoking breach of peace), and 506 (criminal intimidation) read with 34 (with common intention).
After identifying the Mahindra Thar’s owner, a police team visited his address in Bengaluru. However, the suspects were not at the address when the police checked.
“Based on a tweet complaint, we registered an FIR and also sent a team to Bengaluru to take into custody the four accused for questioning. We have their address. However, they were not present at the house when we went there,” a senior police officer said, adding the sections invoked against them were bailable offences.
Arun said he did not lodge a complaint earlier since he was confused.
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