I parked my car & shouted at them, but they didn’t stop. I couldn’t chase them because I was with my family and I didn’t know the area.
BHPian raptor_diwan recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Recently, when I was heading towards Coimbatore, there was a sudden accident involving the car that was ahead of us, which occurred a few kilometers away. However, we didn’t witness the accident directly.
We witnessed the car was already collided with the divider and crashed sideways.
We saw a group of individuals, possibly local goons aged between 28-30, quickly running away from the car after the crash. They grabbed most of the bags and luggage from inside the car and fled towards the nearby forest area. At first, I thought they were running to help, but then I realized they were stealing. I was shocked and horrified.
I parked my car & shouted at them, but they didn’t stop. I couldn’t chase them because I was with my family and I didn’t know the area.
I stopped and checked on the driver, who seemed to have fallen asleep at the wheel is the reason for accident. A college bus pulled over a minutes later and the driver called the police and ambulance. The driver was not seriously injured, but he was still in shock and his leg was stucked due to car bonnet area came inside little bit.
I’m not sure if the driver was aware that his luggage had been stolen, but I hope he was able to retrieve his belongings. I informed the college bus driver about the incident, and he appeared to be a local resident. He assured me that he would report the theft to the police. Afterward, I continued on my way. Several kind-hearted individuals stopped to offer their assistance, and all the college students on the bus joined in the search efforts nearby. Hope that the driver recovers his belongings.
This incident took place on NH 45 somewhere before Athur.
It was heart-wrenching to witness such incidents and observe how opportunistic and cruel some individuals can be in taking advantage of such situations. I couldn’t help but worry about the safety of my belongings in the car, including my laptop and other items, in the event of an accident.
Currently, I am searching for a car locker that is securely fixed and cannot be removed from the vehicle. I am looking for a locker that can be screwed into the car, similar to a seat, making it accessible but not easily removable. If such a product exists, I would appreciate any suggestions or recommendations. I have come across some options (Godrej Security launches a ‘Car Safe’ for Rs. 2500), but they don’t seem to be practical for my needs.
Also, when I shared this incident with my friends, it seemed like such incidents are more common on highways during bus accidents or similar situations. However, this was the first time I personally witnessed such an incident. Have you ever witnessed a similar incident?
Here’s what BHPian Nomad_SK had to say on the matter:
This happened with me, I was travelling with my family and was involved in a very bad crash. The car went downhill (That’s another story), luckily, we all were safe and came out almost unscathed, with minor injuries and bruises. We removed our luggage, which was a task in itself, asked for a lift from a good citizen and retrieved almost all the stuff from the car and went to the police station (Mind you it was a very small village) to register FIR. It was raining and snowing, was almost dusk time and was getting dark. We lodged the FIR and I rented a local cab for my hometown 7-8hrs away. Police guy confirmed me that there will be someone to look at the car. I was supposed to come next day with crane/insurance guy and an order from the magistrate to retrieve the car. And guess what ???
Spare Tyre/Battery/Music system/few more items which we couldn’t retrieve due to emergency, was all gone, in spite of having a police guy assurance (he took money for that too), that somebody will look over for the night. Later someone told me that these Police guys are hand in glove with the goons to carry out such nuisance.
Lesson learned – When in problem, “certain people” will be on you like vultures. I don’t want to mention who are these “certain people”. And few will be there like angels.
Here’s what BHPian speed_79 had to say on the matter:
In April 2022, while on my way to Delhi from Bangalore, I either slept at wheels or due to highway hypnosis 200 km 3 hours from Bangalore, I rear-ended an unladen cement truck and went down the highway into the fields. The front of the car was badly damaged, and the right side was sheared off till the C-pillar of my Safari Storme. Me and my wife were unconscious for a few minutes after the accident. My 14-year-old son was unharmed and woke up at the first impact, but was clueless about what to do. He was helped by one Mr. Syed who called our parents up north and also my friends in Bangalore. An ambulance was called and he àlong with others kept all our luggage and most of our belongings in the ambulance with us. We were also going to attend the marriage of my wife’s cousin, so had a lot of jewellery and a good amount of cash. Everything was there with us. When we were at the trauma centre of Kims Savera Hospital in Ananthpur, another ambulance driver kept all our stuff in his ambulance. Nothing went missing from what people had collected from our car and loaded in the ambulance.
Two hours later my friends arrived at the accident site and collected the dashcam. By that time the shoes which my daughter had been wearing and were left behind in Storme, were picked up by someone. As I was stable for 2 hours at Kims Savera, we decided to leave for Manipal Bangalore in an ambulance. My father-in-law who reached Bangalore from Bhopal, was kept updated by Mr Syed in the meantime.
While I underwent surgeries at Manipal, the Storme was standing there in a field, open to all elements for 4 days till my father could reach there and get custody of the car after paying money. The police did not allow any local contacts to get the car towed to Bangalore as they insisted that either I or a blood relative has to get custody of the car. The things that went missing from Storme during these 4 days were:
1. Battery
2. Spare tyre
3. Harman Kardon music system along with the speakers and USB pen drive (my song collection)
4. A clutch lock (without its keys)
5. Someone broke the hatch glass
6. Floor mats
7. Multi-tool with glass hammer
8. Tools and jack
9. Power adapter of dashcam
10. A box containing medicines
Things I could retrieve from the Storme when it reached Bangalore were a wash mitt and the drying towel.
Then the Tata service centre flicked the full door panel of the front passenger door.
Mr. Syed, whom I contacted later, had hesitation in meeting me as i wanted to thank for all the help. From his hesitation to meet me, I think he was driver of the truck which I had read ended. It was a company truck and he was just a driver. He had also told my FIL that he had seen me sleep-driving, which is possible only for the driver of that truck as it was an empty highway at 7 AM in the morning.
I was lucky to survive the accident with unharmed family members, and fortunate to be helped by good people on that day and have good memories rather than the bad ones.
The Storme was scrapped and has been replaced by Hexa.
Here’s what BHPian locusjag had to say on the matter:
My aunt was in a horrific crash off of the Chennai-Trichy NH. Her Ritz, driven by her driver, veered off the highway and struck a wall. It turns out that her crash occurred at a spot that’s known for such crashes. Lots of village bums sit near there and wait for the inevitable to happen and they get to rummage through debris of stricken cars quite often.
After her car had overturned, she felt the bums trying to snatch her chains from her neck. Despite having a damaged spine, she managed to give them a verbal thrashing and they scampered away into the darkness. The cops who later helped her into an ambulance informed her of these bums who wait around for a quick buck to drink with.
Here’s what BHPian maddyoni10 had to say on the matter:
A junior colleague of mine died in a hit-and-run accident in Bangalore on his way to HCL office in Electronic City. He was doing a 7 am to 4 pm kind of shift to be home early to take care of his ailing wife and new born kid. All valuables including purse, mobile, company laptop were looted. Since he was wearing his employee ID card, police called company number and HR swung into action.
My heart sank when I heard of this. How low can one stoop and what good will come off of exploiting people in such situations? Sometimes I feel animals are better than such humans…
Keyword: My experience of thieves stealing from cars right after an accident!