MUMBAI: A fitness trainer and strategist from Mahim and his wife were left traumatised after five men in an SUV, allegedly armed with baseball and hockey sticks, chased their vehicle, intercepted it and assaulted him before damaging the car’s windows in a road-rage incident in Bandra on Saturday midnight, said police.Arjun Garewal, 39, was returning to his Mahim home with his wife, Bhakti, an HR director at a university, after dinner with his parents in Juhu when the incident occurred near Sahil Hotel on SV Road in Bandra (West).Bandra police have detained three accused — Anas K, 25, who works at a private firm, Bilal Shaikh, 30, the brother of a garment businessman and one other accused named Rajen. Police registered an FIR against them on Sunday under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for assault and criminal intimidation. The three were later released after being served notices.Police said the incident began around 11.45pm on August 8 when an XUV700 allegedly came in front of Garewal’s SUV and obstructed his way.“The road rage began after the accused first overtook Garewal and kept driving slowly in front, not allowing him to move ahead. When Garewal managed to get past, they got annoyed, chased and attacked him and damaged his car. They got angry after the victim overtook their vehicle. They kicked, punched and abused him verbally and damaged the front, rear and driver’s-side windows of Garewal’s car,” a Bandra police officer said.Police said the assailants attacked Garewal with baseball and hockey sticks and damaged the windows of his vehicle while his wife was seated in the front. The group allegedly called a few more people who arrived on motorcycles and joined the verbal altercation and assault.Sub-inspector Mujaffar Sayyad and a police team reached the spot after Bhakti called the police helpline ‘100’. While several of the accused fled, police managed to detain two of them, an officer said.Garewal told TOI that the incident began after the accused repeatedly overtook his vehicle and then deliberately drove slowly in front of him.“My wife was terrified after the incident and took leave from work on Monday,” he said, adding,“When he tried to hit me, I stopped him with my hands after which the said person used a hockey stick to break the front, rear and driver’s-side windows of my car. They then got into their car and drove away from the spot,” said Garewal.Garewal noted down the SUV’s registration number, following which police contacted the accused. Police said further probe is underway.
