Remember The Man Driving Maruti Swift With Dogs On Roof? Arrested By Bengaluru Police, Car Seized

A man who was recently seen driving a Maruti Suzuki Swift in Bengaluru with no less than three pet dogs on the car’s roof has been arrested by Bengaluru police. The Maruti Swift has also been seized as a part of the process. The arrested man is a 36-year old hairdresser, Harish, who is said to be out of work. This reminds us of the proverb – an idle mind is a devils workshop…

This is not the first time when these guys were spotted doing such reckless behavior in the city, it was spotted in Kalyan Nagar. Several dogs were seen precariously placed on top of a moving car on the highway, causing immense fear and distress to the animals and alarming the… pic.twitter.com/UvZB7qRbjP

— Karnataka Portfolio (@karnatakaportf) December 4, 2024

When confronted by a fellow motorist while driving with 3 pet Shi Tzu dogs on the Swift’s roof, Harish let out a string of expletives. The incident caused outrage among animal lovers and the general public given the severe risks it posed not just to the pet dogs riding on the car’s roof but also to fellow motorists.

After the incident, an animal rights organization called Society For Animals, emailed police officials and government agencies including Bengaluru’s Commissioner of Police, urging action. Officials attached to the Banaswadi police station were quick to track down Harish through his Maruti Swift’s registration number, taking him and his car into custody.

A police officer said the following, after Harish’s arrest.

We have seized his vehicle. Further investigation is on. In the video, he was seen with hair, but by the time we nabbed him, he had shaved his head. We’re also trying to ascertain if he put a PRESS sticker on the car to avoid being stopped or checked by law enforcement authorities. 

We sincerely hope that other pet owners pulling such stunts stop immediately, now that Harish has been arrested, and his car seized. The Bengaluru police has done a great job. It has set a precedent by acting quickly, and forcefully. This should serve as a warning to everyone attempting such stupid and dangerous acts with their pet animals.

This isn’t the first time this is happening

Found this guy in ORR today! @peakbengaluru pic.twitter.com/BIDtBTFRdx

— Aarun Gowda (@alwAYzgAMe420) January 14, 2023

Over the past few months, we’ve seen people riding with dogs and cats on their vehicles. While these pet owners claim that their animals enjoy these rides, there’s no way to tell as animals can’t express their feelings in words.

Moreover, such acts are very dangerous as there’s always the risk of animals jumping off moving vehicles in fear, or due to some external stimulus. And when this happens, such animals can pose a threat to other motorists, and even cause a crash situation.

Here’s an example!

Assume that the Shi Tzu dogs that Harish was driving around in his Maruti Swift are startled by firecrackers that someone just burst on a street. Thee dogs are likely to jump off to seek cover, and when this happens, the dogs could get seriously injured, or end up coming under the wheels of oncoming vehicles.

This is not all, such a situation could also cause two wheeler riders to get startled, leading to an emergency braking/swerving situation, which in turn could cause a crash. So, it’s important that pet owners realize how severe the consequences of their actions could be.

Social media/Instagram reels to blame

Idiotic acts on the road, and the subsequent filming of them for social media, especially Instagram reels is becoming an epidemic of sorts. Content creators, seeking virality and audience engagement, go to great – often stupid – lengths to carry out dangerous acts such as the one that we’ve described in this story.

It’s about time that everyone’s sensitized to such delinquent behavior. Social Media companies must build algorithms that flag such content as dangerous and downrank them so that their reach diminishes, and the incentive to create such content is greatly curtailed. Just this one measure could go a long way in making this world a safer place.

It’s also important that parents and teachers counsel younger people, and figure out creative ways to stop them from indulging in behavior that could put both them and others in harm’s way. Until this happens, we won’t be hearing and seeing the last of such stupid acts.