Ricky wasn’t driving drifting Lamborghini: Lawyer

IN a financial statement on tues, the attorney representing Ricky Rai, boy of the belatedly underworld figure Muthappa Rai, denied that his client was driving the Lamborghini seen performing drifting manoeuvres in a viral video from central Bengaluru, days after the police had seized the high-end car and sent a notice to Rai, asking him to appear for questioning.The video, widely circulated on social media, shows a high-end car performing repeated doughnuts and sharp turns at Anil Kumble Circle on March 21. The footage prompted the Cubbon Park traffic police to register a suo moto case and seize the vehicle.Authorities had initially suspected that Rai was behind the wheel. However, his lawyer, Narayana Swamy, rejected the claim, stating that the car had been given for servicing and was being driven by a chauffeur at the time.“Firstly, there was no nuisance; that day, there were no people on the road. The car was given for service, and the driver collected it. Many claimed Ricky Rai was driving, but that is wrong; he wasn’t driving; the driver was. I request you all not to say Ricky was driving. I won’t deny he was in the car, but this was not done intentionally,” he said.The lawyer described the driver as “talented”, arguing that what appeared to be deliberate drifting was in fact a loss of control on a newly paved stretch of road. “When he applied the brakes, the car skidded because the road was newly paved. There’s nothing big in this. The driver immediately regained control of the car. It happened accidentally,” he said.Rai had earlier appeared before the Cubbon Park traffic police and submitted documents related to the vehicle. Police have also sought confirmation of ownership details from the Regional Transport Office. Officials said it remains unclear who was driving at the time.Police officers, however, have taken a serious view of the incident. According to investigators, CCTV footage shows the Lamborghini making multiple passes and performing circular drifts between 2am and 3am, at times amid moving traffic.West traffic deputy commissioner of police, Sahil Bagla said, “The CCTV footage clearly shows the car repeatedly drifting at the junction. Such acts are highly dangerous and pose a serious threat to public safety.”“We have reviewed the CCTV footage, and the drifting has been recorded. We are verifying the ownership of the vehicle. Such stunts are illegal on Bengaluru roads and will not be tolerated,” he added.“We will not only impose penalties but also recommend cancellation of the vehicle’s registration certificate (RC),” warned the DSP.An FIR has been registered for rash and negligent driving, and investigators are working to identify the person driving the car using CCTV footage and other evidence. The driver is reported to have fled the scene after the incident, which was captured by a bystander.Ricky Rai, who had been issued a notice, appeared before the Cubbon Park Traffic Police and submitted documents related to the vehicle. Police have also sought confirmation of ownership details from the Regional Transport Office. Officials said it remains unclear who was driving at the time.Rai’s father, Muthappa Rai, was a prominent figure in Karnataka’s underworld before later moving into business and social work. He rose to prominence in Bengaluru’s criminal networks in the late 1980s and was linked to several cases, including the 1990 killing of rival don MP Jayaraj, though he was acquitted in multiple instances due to lack of evidence.In a separate incident last year, Ricky Rai was injured in a shooting near his residence in Bidadi while travelling towards Bengaluru. He survived the attack and was treated in hospital as police investigated the case..