On the cell and at the wheel will take you to prison in Mumbai

Offenders sentenced to one-day imprisonment, licences suspended.

Akilesh chandrabhan chaurasia, 28, was imprisoned for a day, his driving licence was suspended for six months and he had to cough up Rs 1,500 as fine after he was caught using a mobile while driving.

Chaurasia, driver of a mobile diabetes check-up unit, was using a hand-free device but it did not help.

Chaurasia says, “This came as a shock to me as I was not aware about the no-mobile rule for a four-wheeler. I thought it was applicable for two-wheelers only.” Chaurasia, a resident of Kandivli, was caught on September 7 (he was produced in a court on September 27) while taking an “outstation call from his native place”. Chaurasia will be jobless for six months and he is concerned about his wife and two children. “I now spend my time running errands and there is no regular income. I have learnt a lesson. I will never have a phone near me the next time I am at the wheel,” he says.

After coming down heavily on drunk driving, the traffic wing of the Mumbai Police has now started taking action against motorists talking on mobile phones. Chaurasia is one of the first offenders to face the heat. Earlier, the traffic policemen used to let off offenders after warning them. According to police, a biker, B Sheikh (35), was caught driving with his head tilted to support his cell phone against his shoulder. He too was imprisoned for a day.