A probe has been initiated by the Motor Vehicles Department of Kerala after a video of cars owned by film actors Prithviraj and Dulquer Salmaan allegedly racing along the Kottayam-Kochi road in sports cars went viral on social media. However, officials say they do not at the moment have any evidence indicating that the cars were indeed overspeeding.
In the 2.03 minute-long video that went viral, two men on a bike could be seen chasing three cars, a black Lamborghini, a silver Porsche followed by a red Porsche cruising along the Kottayam-Kochi highway. The two men on the bike attempted to chase the vehicles, seeking photographs with the actors. Towards the end of the video, the sports cars speed away from the bike. Though the men on the bike call out to the actors, they are not visible in the video.
“We have launched a probe but don't have evidence of overspeeding as there are no working speed cameras along the stretch,” said Rajeev Puthalath, Joint Transport Commissioner (Enforcement) with the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) in Kerala. "The cameras got ruined during the floods, we are in the process of replacing them,” he adds.
The officer added that they are yet to identify the person behind the wheel in the red Porsche, “If found guilty we will book them under Section 184 of the Motor Vehicles Act,” said the officer.
“From the video it doesn't look like the cars were over speeding, but the two men on bike were definitely overspeeding trying to catch up with the cars,” the officer added.
The officials are also unsure when the video was shot by the two men on bike who have also not been identified. “We couldn't get the number plate of the bike from the video,“ Rajeev said.
Motor cars along state highways in Kerala have a speed limit of 80 kilometers per hour and for a motorcycle is 50 kilometers per hour.
If a probe by the MVD finds the car owners guilty under section 184 of the MVA, they are liable to pay a fine of Rs 1,500 for the first office or face jail time for six months, and Rs 3,000 for repeat offences.