12 Kolkata: A student, who transitioned from being a stunt biker influencer on social media to becoming the poster boy of Kolkata Traffic Police, has realised that being on the right side of the law always pays. The Kolkata Police uploaded a video on Tuesday night showing a biker urging motorists to ride safely. The 66-second video also includes footage of his stunts and a comment he posted on social media, stating he enjoys overspeeding and "fooling" the cops. The second half of the video features the repentant biker, who says that breaking laws never pays.
"Ride safe, not sorry - Avoid bike stunts and the risk of getting caught. Ride safely and responsibly!" the cops wrote in their Facebook post after sharing the stunt biker's video. Behind the video is a week-long effort by the Special Raid Section of Kolkata Traffic Police, who were first alerted about the biker – who just turned 18 years old – through complaints received on their page that also tagged the biker's pages. This section tracked down the biker using technical leads. Once at Lalbazar, the biker was asked to come before the camera and send a strong message against stunt biking.
"We not only seized the bike but even called the parents over for counselling. We asked them why they bought him such a costly bike and whether they were aware of their son's activities. We also counselled the rider himself, stating that beyond police action, there was always the chance of harming himself and others through such acts. He was repentant. As he has a future ahead, we did not wish to reveal his details. However, legal action will be completed on him," said DC (Traffic) Shrikant Jagannathrao Yeilwad.
"Recently, a video went viral on social media showing a young man covering a bike''s number plate with tape, followed by a race at a dangerous speed of about 150 km/hr, evading the police's speed detection cameras. The incident was reported on the outskirts of the city. We later realised it was shot on Sampriti flyover. It was from that point that we got cracking on this case," said an officer at Lalbazar.
Yeilwad said the purpose of posting the video was two-fold – one, to make young people aware that it never pays to break traffic rules. Two, that cops wanted to send a strong signal that the police are watching all bikers and their activities. A recent trend among bikers to start racing in pockets of Kolkata and Bidhannagar after hiding the registration number of bikes using black cloth had earlier prompted Lalbazar, at the prodding of the commissioner of police, Manoj Verma, to take strict action against these activities.
Both Bidhannagar Police and Kolkata Police have formed special teams to address the issue. Across Kolkata, each traffic guard is forming nakas twice a day, even as the Special Raid Section carries out input-based raids to end this malaise on roads. As part of the upcoming Road Safety Week, cops now also plan to visit each slum and impress on parents not to allow minors to ride bikes and indulge in racing. Even for those who are of age, cops are urging parents to ensure they wear helmets and do not ride after consuming alcohol. "We have instructed the local guards to reach out to parents and garage owners. We plan to extensively keep a tab on movement from slums onto the EM Bypass. We need to curb drunk driving at its roots, and it will begin from this year's Road Safety Week," said a senior officer.