Car rage case: Accused remanded in custody by Vijayawada court

Vijayawada: The two youths, Bolla Om and Lingamaneni Rohit, who triggered panic on the roads of Vijayawada on Thursday night by banging their vehicles against each other were remanded in custody by the 4th additional chief metropolitan magistrate court on Saturday.Patamata police investigating the car-rage incident named Bolla as A1 and Lingamaneni as A2 in the case and produced them before the court. Seeking judicial remand for the accused, police said their actions posed a serious threat to public safety and could have led to disastrous consequences. Defence lawyers opposed the remand plea, contending that the charges invoked were excessive.During the hearing, the judge reportedly viewed the viral videos related to the incident and made strong observations over the conduct of the accused. “If such large-scale nuisance is created on public roads using cars, how can the police be faulted for seeking remand?” the court asked, while further observing that permitting such “reckless acts” without strict action would send a dangerous message and put innocent citizens at risk.The judge also raised concerns over allegations that rods were carried inside the vehicles and attacks were attempted during the incident. “How can it be claimed that there was no attempt to murder? Who will take the responsibility if ordinary citizens or children had been harmed due to such reckless acts on public roads?” the court remarked, while remanding both Bolla and Lingamaneni in judicial custody.