Alappuzha: Boy’s dare-devilry on NH-66

Alappuzha: A 15-year-old boy drove an Innova car for 20 km on NH-66 from Ambalappuzha to Haripad in protest against his parents’ refusal to buy him a smart phone on Wednesday. However, the highway police, who were alerted by his parents, stopped him at Madhava junction, Haripad, and sent him home along with his parents after registering a case for violating the Motor Vehicles (MV) Act.

T. Manoj, Circle Inspector, Haripad, said that the boy, son of a contractor at Ambalappuzha, had picked up a fight with his mother after he was denied a new smart phone.  The boy, a class X student, then took the car key and sped away. His father was not present in the house then.

The boy had indulged in outrageous acts in the past also. The parents told the police that he had not previously driven the car.

As per the MV Act, only a person who has completed 18 years of age can apply for a driving licence. A minor caught driving can be fined `500. The students in the city schools often ride on two-wheelers.

In March last year, Hameed Kunju, 43, Asaarethu Veetil, Vallikunnam, here, was remanded in judicial custody after the car driven by his minor son knocked down a class VI student at a school in Kayamkulam.