Case filed against reckless racers in Bangabandhu tunnel
Speed cameras have been installed inside the tunnel to monitor the speed limit, which is set at a maximum of 60 kilometres per hour.
Authorities have identified seven cars involved in racing, overspeeding beyond the tunnel's speed limit, and filed a case against their drivers, who have yet to be identified.
Md Jahangir Alam, assistant manager of the tunnel authority, lodged a complaint at Karnaphuli police station under the Road Transport Act on Wednesday (1 November), providing the license plate numbers of the seven cars.
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Through analysis of CCTV footage, the tunnel authorities successfully identified the license plates of the seven cars involved.
According to case statement, 7 to 10 private cars were racing in the crossing area, violating the maximum speed limit displayed on the tunnel authorities' signboards around 11pm on 29 October. The cars created obstacles by racing, overtaking, and driving recklessly.
Later, around 11:55pm, one of the cars hit the toll plaza inside the tunnel due to high speed, causing minor damage to the railing, the statement further reads.
"The tunnel authorities have filed a case against the drivers of these seven private cars involved in racing inside the tunnel. The case has been filed against the unidentified drivers for their reckless driving. Legal actions will be taken against the accused," told Mohammad Jahir Hossain, officer-in-charge of Karnaphuli Police Station.
Apparently, a video of a car racing inside the tunnel was uploaded on a page named 'The Slow Kids,' which went viral on social media, and it was compared to a scene from the Hollywood movie 'The Fast and the Furious.'
Speed cameras have been installed inside the tunnel to monitor the speed limit, which is set at a maximum of 60 kilometres per hour.
Earlier, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel (BSMRT) on 28 October, marking the launch of South Asia's first underwater expressway tunnel and a new era in communication in Bangladesh.