Despite strict measures in place by the city police to curb drunken driving on New Year's Eve in Hyderabad, it seems that many revellers did not pay heed to the warnings.
In a special drive during the night of December 31, as many as 957 drunk drivers were arrested or detained, while a staggering 1,594 drunk driving cases were booked by the three commissionerates in the city.
The police stepped up security all across the city and shut flyovers, while also limiting access to the Outer Ring Road (ORR).
According to the police, the ongoing strike of cab drivers may have also led to the higher number of drunk driving incidents.
"Over 100 teams, both static and mobile, were deployed across the city. There were also decoy teams on the roads to catch road rule violators. All enforcement works were recorded using cameras for the purpose of evidence,” Additional Commissioner of Police, (Traffic), Jitender told the media.
The Deccan Chronicle reported that the maximum numbers of drunk drivers were caught in and around the areas of Mehdipatnam, while areas like Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills and Begumpet also saw a large number of cases.
"With the cooperation of the people, 15,000 police personnel, including, 100 SHE Teams, 50 teams of traffic cops, supported by the Rapid Action Force and Telangana State Special Police were on the streets between 10pm and 5am and ensured mishap-free New Year celebrations," Hyderabad Police Commissioner Mahendar Reddy said.
The Times of India reported that the cops had to slow down their drive at one point, because of a lack of home guards to drive the seized vehicles to police stations and insufficient parking space to keep the vehicles.
Three people also lost their lives during the celebrations due to alleged drunk driving.