A disturbing trend has emerged in the city, with groups of intoxicated individuals resorting to staging fake road accidents to extort money from unsuspecting vehicle owners and drivers.
On Monday evening, a biker riding through the bustling Polo area was stopped by a drunken man who claimed the two-wheeler had hit his leg. The man, visibly intoxicated, even grabbed the biker in an attempt to create a scene. Soon after, several other inebriated individuals appeared to back his claim. However, alert traffic police stationed nearby intervened swiftly and dispersed the group before the situation escalated.
Locals say this was not an isolated incident. Similar cases have been reported in the past, particularly around busy intersections like Polo Market. The modus operandi remains the same: intoxicated individuals suddenly obstruct a moving vehicle, fake an injury and then pressure the driver for money.
One woman shared her harrowing experience near the Polo Market junction. “It was around 8pm when I was taking a left turn toward Polo Mall. A drunken man deliberately bumped into my car and then accused me of hitting him. When I got out to check if he was injured, he started banging on my bonnet and creating a scene,” she recalled. Again, traffic police stepped in and diffused the situation. The man’s companion eventually pulled him away and apologised.
Another similar case surfaced during the Covid lockdown in Mawlai, involving a lone female driver. “A man, who seemed to be on drugs, accused me of running over his foot. When I opened the door to check, he jumped inside the car and demanded money for a massage,” the woman recounted. He asked her to drop him at a location and, upon reaching, demanded Rs 1,000. She felt compelled to give him Rs 500 – the only cash she had – and later lodged a police complaint.
Residents note that these scammers often target drivers who are alone and prefer areas with fewer police. The tactic bears resemblance to scams commonly seen in metropolitan cities, where fraudsters fake accidents to demand money.
As such incidents begin to surface more frequently in Shillong, citizens are urging authorities to step up patrolling and ensure stricter vigilance, especially in known hotspots like Polo and Mawlai, to curb this worrying trend.
