Mangaluru:  A 21-year-old student had to mortgage his gold chain to pay a hefty fine towards traffic violations as per the amended Motor Vehicle (MV) Act in Mangaluru city. He was fined for riding without a helmet, licence or insurance when he encountered cops in Mangaluru city.

The incident reportedly occurred a week ago at Nagori traffic police station limits. The student (whose identity was not shared) was reportedly riding his uncle’s bike. He had no money to pay the hefty fine and his uncle, who owned the vehicle, refused to help him. The young man had no other go but to mortgage his gold chain and sell his wristwatch to get the seized bike released.

A traffic cop from Nagori told  reporter that the student and his friend riding pillion were caught without helmets. On seeing cops, the pillion rider jumped from the bike and fled, while the rider was caught. “One of our traffic constables removed the key from the ignition. The student pulled out a spare key from his pocket in a bid to escape. But he was caught within a minute,” traffic police said. 

On enquiring about documents, the police also found out that the student had no licence or insurance. The bike was owned by his uncle. The cop asked him to pay a fine of Rs 7,000 and get the bike released. 

The young man pleaded with the cops. When they refused to budge, he called his uncle over phone. His uncle, who was furious over his bike being used, refused to help him and ordered not to return home without the bike. The cop said that the boy checked with many others for help. He left the spot and came back after some time with the fine amount. Later, he told cops that he had to mortgage his gold chain and wristwatch.