I was lucky to avoid myself and family getting mugged on Monday late night near Devanahalli.

It was around 1:15 am last Tuesday. I was on my way to my in-laws place, after picking up my cousin from the Bangalore International Airport. I took a turn from National Highway-7 towards Devanahalli. I wasn’t sure of the exact turn towards H-Cross (This is the junction where four roads – Devanahalli, Bangalore, Kolar, Chintamani – meet. It is around 22 kms from Devanahalli). So I stopped near a Tata Indica and asked my wife Sandhya to lower her window to ask the occupants of the car for directions. 

The man in the driver’s seat immediately got down from the car and started saying, “Cochin, Cochin”, without listening to what I was saying. I told him which direction he was supposed to go in, but it seemed like he was trying to divert my attention by repeating his question again and again. 

In the mean time I happened to see two men sitting in the front seat. I immediately suspected something and changed gears in my car. My wife saw one man get down from the back seat of the Indica and walk towards me. Sandhya immediately pulled up the window on her side, also suspecting something.

Without wasting anytime, I started driving away and left the place.

Now all of this happened under less than a minute. 

I drove towards the nearby Devanahalli police station, which was on my way, and asked a policeman there for directions towards H-Cross. Luckily the Indica did not follow us, probably aware of the proximity of the police station (less than 200 m from where the incident occurred).

I didn’t file a complaint at the police station as I had to reach my destination. But it’s a lesson learnt, to not stop at  secluded place on a highway.

⊕