Youth ‘driving drunk recklessly’ chased by public, caught and thrashed

A youth was arrested for allegedly driving a car recklessly in an inebriated state and hitting multiple two-wheelers in Salem on Saturday night.According to police, residents noticed a car being driven recklessly around 9 p.m. It allegedly hit a number of two-wheelers parked on the side of the service road for the Sanniyasigundu bypass, prompting the residents to raise an alarm.However, the driver allegedly continued to drive the vehicle rashly and hit two more motorcycles in the locality. Sakthivel, a 40-year-old food delivery worker, fractured his leg in the incident.Subsequently, the residents began chasing the speeding car, during which the back axle of the vehicle broke. The car was driven in this condition for another two kilometres. This was recorded by a few people on their mobile phones.The residents managed to stop the car and assaulted the two occupants. On information, the Kitchipalayam police came to the spot and rescued the two youth, identified as K. Thirumuguran (21) and a 18-year-old college student, both residents of S. Nattamangalam near Kondalampatti.An investigation found that the duo went to a party along with their friends, consumed liquor and drove the car in an inebriated state, resulting in the chaos.The Kitchipalayam police admitted them to the Government Hospital in Salem for the injuries sustained in the assault by the public. The video of the rash driving and the chase went viral on social media. The police on Sunday (July 19) evening arrested Thirumurugan, who was remanded. Published - July 19, 2026 07:39 pm IST