Crackdown against stunt biking: 40 youth held, 39 motorcycles seized in Vizag

Assistant Commissioner of Police (East) Harshitha Chandra said that around 300 bike riders indulged in rash and dangerous driving and stunts. They blocked the road in between the RTC complex and Swarnabharati indoor stadium on July 9 night and caused much inconvenience to the people. One of them, Hemanth Kumar, intercepted an RTC bus, damaged the wiper and assaulted the driver. Later, the bike riders went to Siripuram and Beach Road. Based on the videos and CCTV footage, the police identified some bike riders and arrested 40 of them including Hemanth Kumar, the team leader, she added. The investigation into the incident has revealed that bike riders in groups (100 to 200 people) used to indulge in bike racing and stunts on the beach road during the odd hours on weekends, Harshitha added. Among the 40 arrested persons, seven were sent to remand. Among the arrested, 20 are students, 12 were employees and a few belonged to other trades. The ACP said it was found that Chelluru Upendra was the inspiration for many youngsters for indulging in bike racing and stunts in the city. He circulated the July 9 program on social media. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Sumit Sunil Garud said Upendra has more than 25,000 followers on Instagram and used to post dangerous stunts on the social media platform. "We have decided to register cases under section 147, 148 and149 of IPC against the youngster for indulging in bike racings, stunts, and illegal assembly to send a strong message,'' he added.