Pathanamthitta: The list of underage drivers caught on Kerala's roads continues to grow, with Adoor Traffic Police booking the mother of a 16-year-old boy and the registered owner of a motorcycle after catching two minors driving a car and a bike in Pathanamthitta district.

The two 16-year-olds were caught near Parakode in Ezhamkulam on Tuesday, one riding a motorcycle and the other driving a car. The police seized both vehicles and registered cases against their owners.

Adoor Traffic Police had received information that a 16-year-old was driving a car and posting videos of his driving on social media. Acting on the tip-off, officers checked the students' Instagram accounts and identified them.

“We had been monitoring the student for the past week,” said Suresh Kumar, sub-inspector of Adoor Traffic Police.

Videos posted on Instagram showed the teenagers speeding on busy roads on a Bajaj Pulsar motorcycle, manoeuvring through narrow gaps between heavy vehicles. Other clips showed them performing drifts in a Maruti Alto and driving without licences.

On Tuesday, the boys encountered a police patrol. One was riding the motorcycle while the other was driving the car. The officers intercepted them and seized both vehicles, Suresh Kumar said.

Cases have been registered against the car's owner, who is the mother of one of the boys, and the registered owner of the motorcycle. The police invoked Section 281 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Sections 180, 181 and 199A of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, covering rash driving, driving without a licence and allowing an underage person to drive.

Meanwhile, the person listed as the motorcycle's registered owner told the police that he had sold the vehicle a few months ago but had not updated the registration details.

Suresh Kumar said the police could initiate action against the person whose name appears on the vehicle's registration certificate and the Parivahan portal. The registered owner can submit documents proving the sale of the motorcycle, he added.

The incident comes amid growing concern over minors driving on Kerala's roads. In a similar case, Meppayur police in Kozhikode registered a case against the father of a 16-year-old who died in a scooter accident.

In Cheranallur, a Mercedes-Benz driven by a 17-year-old crashed, killing Jayabalakrishnan, 55, who owned a roadside eatery.