Four men beat up a traffic constable, who caught their biker friend for driving without a licence, in front of the Vikhroli traffic police chowky on the Ghatkopar-Andheri Link Road on Monday. Three of them were drunk, said the police.

As part of their ongoing campaign against drink-driving, traffic constable Ranjeet Jaganath Ghadge stopped the man, whose name they refused to disclose. Suspecting that he had consumed alcohol, Ghadge asked him to take a blood test. His reports showed that he was not driving under the influence of alcohol. “But, because he did not have a driver’s licence, Ghadge impounded his bike and asked him to call a person with a valid driving licence. He then called his four friends, who created a ruckus at the spot,” said RP Yadav, assistant police inspector, Pant Nagar police station.

“While the one who was caught co-operated with us, his friends said that Ghadge had targeted their friend unnecessarily. They started abusing Ghadge verbally and later beat him up. They also broke his spectacles and tore his shirt,” said Singh.

The police have arrested Rishikesh Salve, Haresh Sonawane, Hemant Kedare and Sameer Shaikh. “The medical reports have revealed that apart from Sonawane, all of them had consumed alcohol. The person who was held did not misbehave with the police. So, we have not booked him in the case,” said Yadav.