Drunk woman locks herself in car
DRAMA AFTER DRINK-DRIVING: Shivani Bali, from Worli, stayed in her car for 2 hrs, smoking and listening to music, before cops broke into the i10.
A woman driving under the influence locked herself up in her car for two hours after the traffic police subjected her to a breathalyser test in Bandra during a late-night crackdown on drunk motorists.
Shivani Bali, 42, who was allegedly drunk more than twice the permissible limit, smoked and played loud music in her Hyundai i10 even as officers tried to persuade her to step out of the car. Officers broke the left rear window after they noticed smoke coming from the hood, and pulled her out.
She was taken to the Bandra police station and fined Rs 2,000 for drink driving and Rs 1,200 for indecent behaviour in public. Her driving licence was also taken away.
Bali was asked to appear in the Bandra metropolitan court later on Tuesday, but she did not show up. Her car is in the police’s custody.
“I have seen several drink-driving cases, but this is a first. The woman locked herself up inside the car and refused to come out,” said traffic police sub-inspector Dattatray Chougale, who was present at the spot.
The police have stepped up drinkdriving checks after top corporate lawyer Janhavi Gadkar drove her Audi on the wrong side of the Eastern Freeway and rammed it into a taxi, killing two people.
Bali, the daughter of a retired defence officer, is a resident of the posh Dalamal Court on the Worli sea face. According to Chougale, a traffic police team spotted Bali’s car near the Bandra-end of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link.
“She was driving alone. She slowed down after seeing nakabandi. When a female constable approached her car, she sped off,” Chougale said.
After a brief chase, Bali was stopped near Bandra Reclamation. “After she took the breathalyser test and was found to be drunk, we asked her to complete the formalities. But she locked herself up in the car. She started verbally abusing everyone and said: ‘If my father finds out about this, he will get everyone suspended’,” Chougale said.
“Every time we tried to reason with her, she would abuse the team and turn up the music.”
For two hours, Bali kept defying the police. Though she had switched off the engine, she had apparently kept the AC on. Officers became worried after they noticed smoke coming from the bonnet. They first tried to pry open one of the doors, but eventually broke the left rear window.
“The woman was booked under the Motor Vehicle Act and the Bombay Police Act,” said Milind Bharambe, joint commissioner of police (traffic).
One of Bali’s neighbours at Dalamal Court said that he was not surprised about the incident. “Bali is known for her drunken behaviour in the society. She always parks her car in someone else’s spot. If someone tries to speak to her about it, she becomes very hostile. We are all tired of her behaviour,” the neighbour, who didn’t want to be named, claimed.
The neighbour added that Bali routinely played loud music in her car, disturbing others.
A woman driving under the influence locked herself up in her car for two hours after the traffic police subjected her to a breathalyser test in Bandra during a late-night crackdown on drunk motorists.
Shivani Bali, 42, who was allegedly drunk more than twice the permissible limit, smoked and played loud music in her Hyundai i10 even as officers tried to persuade her to step out of the car. Officers broke the left rear window after they noticed smoke coming from the hood, and pulled her out.
Bali’s car was flagged down near Bandra Reclamation around 11.45 pm on Monday and she was taken into custody by female officers early on Tuesday.
She was taken to the Bandra police station and fined Rs 2,000 for drink driving and Rs 1,200 for indecent behaviour in public. Her driving licence was also taken away.
Bali was asked to appear in the Bandra metropolitan court later on Tuesday, but she did not show up. Her car is in the police’s custody.
“I have seen several drink-driving cases, but this is a first. The woman locked herself up inside the car and refused to come out,” said traffic police sub-inspector Dattatray Chougale, who was present at the spot.
The police have stepped up drinkdriving checks after top corporate lawyer Janhavi Gadkar drove her Audi on the wrong side of the Eastern Freeway and rammed it into a taxi, killing two people.
Bali, the daughter of a retired defence officer, is a resident of the posh Dalamal Court on the Worli sea face. According to Chougale, a traffic police team spotted Bali’s car near the Bandra-end of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link.
“She was driving alone. She slowed down after seeing nakabandi. When a female constable approached her car, she sped off,” Chougale said.
After a brief chase, Bali was stopped near Bandra Reclamation. “After she took the breathalyser test and was found to be drunk, we asked her to complete the formalities. But she locked herself up in the car. She started verbally abusing everyone and said: ‘If my father finds out about this, he will get everyone suspended’,” Chougale said.
“Every time we tried to reason with her, she would abuse the team and turn up the music.”
For two hours, Bali kept defying the police. Though she had switched off the engine, she had apparently kept the AC on. Officers became worried after they noticed smoke coming from the bonnet. They first tried to pry open one of the doors, but eventually broke the left rear window.
“The woman was booked under the Motor Vehicle Act and the Bombay Police Act,” said Milind Bharambe, joint commissioner of police (traffic).
One of Bali’s neighbours at Dalamal Court said that he was not surprised about the incident. “Bali is known for her drunken behaviour in the society. She always parks her car in someone else’s spot. If someone tries to speak to her about it, she becomes very hostile. We are all tired of her behaviour,” the neighbour, who didn’t want to be named, claimed.
The neighbour added that Bali routinely played loud music in her car, disturbing others.
