Fear Grips Bhatkal Following Mysterious Incidents on Highway

Yahya Hallare
Daijiworld Media Network – Bhatkal (SP)

Bhatkal, Feb 12: The people of Bhatkal are gripped with fear following a few strange incidents that are being reported over the last few days, so much so that they are now hesistant of using stretch of national highway 66 at night. Though police have assured all steps to crackdown on those creating trouble and even using bullets if need be, an atmosphere of tension continues to hover.

In some cases, miscreants have been releasing motor bikes with their engines on, without anyone on them, on to the highway at night and causing accidents. In a few cases, bottles were tossed at moving cars. At least three times in the course of a few days three bike accidents took place, but in all three cases, the bikes were found abandoned with no sign of riders. It came to light later that the bikes were stolen.

In another incident, a young woman sustained eye injuries when soda bottles were thrown at the vehicle she was travelling in. Another youth also was injured in a similar incident. Most of these incidents have been taking place on national highway between Ranginkatte and Vengtapura at night.

On Friday February 10 night, bottles were thrown at three lorries. Police immediately followed a suspect and arrested him, only to release him the next morning. They said that the person was innocent and had ran from the spot as he was in debt and misunderstood that the police were after him.

At a public meeting organized on Thursday February 9 evening at the office of the deputy superintendent of police (DySP), Bhatkal, by DySP, M Narayana said that police would take all necessary action to alleviate the fear factor. “We will not dither from using full force to crush these elements,” he announced.

The DySP explained that night patrolling by policemen has been intensified since the last two weeks, but noted that the miscreants have been terrorizing road users with their weird acts after the patrol party crosses these locations. He sought cooperation from the public for nabbing these persons, and requested people to keep watch over unnatural movements and report even minor incidents to the police. “In case you are able to lay hands on the culprits, please catch hold of them and hand them over to us,” he requested the people.

Satish Kumar, general secretary of Nagarika Hitarakshana Samiti, municipal councilors, Krishna Naik and Matta Sadiq, Muttalli gram panchayat vice president, Jattappa naik, vice president of Rickshaw Drivers and Owners Association, Lakshmana Naik, taxi drivers, as well as office bearers of sports clubs and other organizations, attended the meeting and urged the policemen to bring the culprits behind these incidents to book.

Police sub-inspector of the town police station, Suresh Naik, welcomed. Sub-inspector of rural station, Navinchandra Jogi, proposed vote of thanks.