A 25-year-old auto-rickshaw driver, who maneuvered his vehicle onto a pedestrian foot-over-bridge in South Delhi’s Hamdard Nagar last week to evade a traffic jam, has been apprehended, and his vehicle has been impounded. This action was taken in response to a widely-circulated video clip of the incident.
An unnamed police officer, not authorized to speak to the media, revealed, “We identified the owner of the auto-rickshaw through the video’s registration number. Based on this information, we located and arrested the 25-year-old driver, known as Munna (only a single name shared by the police), along with his relative, Amit.”
The police officer further mentioned, “Both the driver and his relative reside in Sangam Vihar. They claimed that they resorted to using the foot-over-bridge because Munna’s mother was unwell.”
Deputy Commissioner of Police (South), Chandan Chowdhary, explained that Munna was apprehended for driving the auto-rickshaw on the pedestrian overbridge, and 22-year-old Amit assisted in pushing the vehicle up the staircase.
“We have seized the auto-rickshaw under section 66 of the Delhi Police Act (authorizing police to take charge of unclaimed property), and they were arrested on Sunday under sections 107/152 of the Criminal Procedure Code (provisions empowering police to make preventive arrests),” the DCP stated.
Another police officer clarified that the incident occurred on Wednesday but legal action against the duo was initiated on Sunday after the video went viral. The brief video depicted an auto-rickshaw struggling to navigate the staircase of the foot-over-bridge in Hamdard Nagar near Sangam Vihar, eventually ascending the stairs in one continuous motion. A second person, who appeared to be assisting, also boarded the vehicle.
It’s worth noting that while it’s not uncommon for bicycles and motorcycles to use pedestrian foot-over-bridges in the city, it is unusual for an auto-rickshaw to do so. The decision to take action against the vehicle and its driver was primarily prompted by the video’s widespread circulation.
