In Coimbatore, three youths were arrested on Sunday night for engaging in drunken driving, violating traffic rules, and threatening a man with a broken liquor bottle. The incident, which occurred on the second-level flyover connecting 100 Feet Road and Chinnasamy Road around 10 pm on Saturday, was captured in a viral video that spread across social media.
The arrested individuals were identified as S Gowtham, 28, a daily wage laborer from Vadamadurai’s Ezhil Nagar; S Susinthkumar, 23, an air conditioner service technician; and L Rajkumar, 28, also in the air conditioning service business. They were riding a scooter, holding liquor bottles, and driving the wrong way on the flyover without helmets. The video captured by fellow motorists quickly gained traction on social media, leading to their identification and arrest.
The trio’s actions escalated when they confronted R Rajkumar, 26, from Ambika Layout, Coimbatore. After being questioned about their reckless driving, one of the youths broke a liquor bottle and threatened Rajkumar with the broken bottle, demanding money. They then robbed him of Rs 500 and fled the scene.
Rajkumar filed a complaint with the police on Sunday, and a case was registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Motor Vehicles Act. The police traced the suspects and arrested them, also seizing the scooter used in the crime. The arrested youths were later remanded in judicial custody and lodged in the Coimbatore central prison on Monday morning.