BENGALURU: Fourteen ‘wheelie workers’ who were giving sleepless nights to the residents of Nagarabhavi, were arrested and 14 two-wheelers with altered silencers were seized.
The youngsters, who called their group ‘Devils on Road’, were creating a nuisance between 11 pm and 2 am during weekends. The jurisdictional Kamakshipalya police initially managed to arrest one and used him as bait to arrest 13 others.
The police said that the drive was conducted on the weekend in response to complaints from Nagarabhavi residents about youngsters performing wheelies on the Outer Ring Road (ORR) stretch and Nagarabhavi service road, causing consistent disturbance with modified silencers. They would come in groups and pop wheelies and upload videos on social media platforms to gain likes and followers.
Video on social media
The police explained that one of the youths was identified through his video on social media, and after apprehending him, police got to know that around 13 youngsters, including eight below the age of 18, were performing stunts in a chain to run a social media page, ‘Devils on Road’.
After apprehending one of them, police used him as bait and instructed him to call the rest of his friends to perform stunts. Following this, his friends came to ORR to perform stunts. Police on duty subsequently caught 13 of his friends. All the violators are college students aged under 20 years. DCP Traffic (West) Anita B Haddannavar told The New Indian Express, “Performing a wheelie while driving is a dangerous stunt for the rider and even more so for others. Youngsters engage in such stunts for thrills. Safety begins with our own actions.”
‘For free wheelers, we are free lifters’
After videos of youth performing stunts surfaced on social media platforms, Kamakshipalya traffic police posted on X, “You lift one wheel, we will track and lift your two-wheeler in a four-wheeler. For free wheelers, we are free lifters.” Kamakshipalya traffic police registered a case and seized 14 vehicles associated with the case.