Six UK nationals who were caught on camera performing dangerous stunts by jumping across highrises at Elphinstone Road were identified, detained and deported by Mumbai police.
Parkour is a sport where one uses skillful moves to jump over walls and other objects. The men, all members of UK-based Storror parkour group, have done several stunts all over the world and their videos are uploaded on YouTube.
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On Monday, the group went to the terrace of a 14-storey tower at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Society at Elphistone Road and carried out stunts by jumping from the building to another. Residents who witnessed these unusual stunts shot a video and alerted Dadar police. Jayant Nate, secretary of the society, and a few other residents, complained to Dadar police saying this group had illegally entered their building and performed stunts. ¡°We residents were disturbed since we had no prior knowledge of their plans to perform stunts and, above all, they had not taken any permission in the first place,¡± said Jayant Nate.
¡°The residents complained that the group had not taken any permission and yet they climbed to the terrace of the 14-storey building using pipes. The residents said they were worried that children and youngsters would get influenced and may try to replicated the stunts,¡± said an officer. Dadar police said after informing the UK consulate, Mumbai police on Wednesday deported all six by an early morning flight.
The six men were identified as Powel Max Cave (26), Cave Storror (25), Benjamin Storrer (25), Bernard Black (24), Powel Oliver (26) and Dave Taylor (26).
¡°The UK nationals, in Mumbai on tourist visas, were caught on the wrong side of the law. We identified them and handed over them to Mumbai police¡¯s special branch for violation of visa rules. They were staying in a five-star hotel from where they were asked to come along with us to Dadar police station. We recorded their statements and handed over their passports and visa papers to the special branch. The special branch, in turn, informed the UK consulate and deported them citing violation of visa rules,¡± said an officer.
A Dadar police station officer said all six had come to Mumbai last week for a TED conference in Worli. Police said the six men give motivational lectures on parkour.