A 23-year-old man was allegedly chased, assaulted and his car vandalised by a crowd in Noida’s Sector 17 after he applied the brakes to avoid hitting a child who suddenly ran in front of his vehicle, police said on Tuesday. A case has been registered against unidentified suspects at Sector 20 police station.When Verma was cornered by the crowd, he called the police for help. A team from Sector 20 police station rushed to the spot and rescued him. (Video grab/HT Photo)Police identified the man as Shivam Verma, a resident of Garhi Chaukhandi in Sector 121, Noida.“On Mondaynight, Verma had gone to meet a friend in Sector 17’s JJ Colony in his Maruti Suzuki Swift. While returning home around 10.30pm, a child aged about 10 years suddenly ran in front of his vehicle, forcing him to apply the brakes to avoid a collision,” said a senior police officer, requesting anonymity.The officer added, “After Verma stopped the car, the child’s family and some neighbours, alleging rash driving, began chasing his vehicle. They intercepted the car near a foot overbridge in Sector 18. A brief verbal altercation followed, after which Verma was allegedly assaulted and his car vandalised.”When Verma was cornered by the crowd, he called the police for help. A team from Sector 20 police station rushed to the spot and rescued him.“After he underwent medical examination, a case was registered under Sections 115 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (mischief), 352 (intentional insult) and 351(3) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against unidentified suspects based on Verma’s complaint,” the officer said, adding that efforts were under way to identify and arrest those involved.A video of the incident was widely circulated on social media, showing a group of people surrounding a damaged car. HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.