This is an archive article published on June 29, 2021
Hyderabad Audi accident: Man says not son but family driver was at the wheel, arrested
The Madhapur police have released the video of the incident which shows the Audi speeding on the rain-drenched road and hitting an auto, sending it into an uncontrollable spin. While the passenger in the autorickshaw died on the spot, the driver was seriously hurt.
The father of the driver of a speeding Audi car, which killed a passenger travelling in an autorickshaw in Hyderabad on Sunday, tried to put the blame on his family driver who was not in the car at the time of the accident, police said on Tuesday.
Raghunandan Reddy, whose son Sujit Reddy, 24, was driving the black Audi that rammed into the autorickshaw near Inorbit Mall in Madhapur, brought his family driver to the Madhapur Police Station and claimed he was driving the car. Besides Sujit Reddy, Raghunandan Reddy and Sujit’s friend Ashish Reddy (24) were in the car. They were returning home from an all-night party. All three have been arrested.
While the passenger in the autorickshaw died on the spot, the auto driver was seriously hurt.
Reckless speed and drunk driving of an Audi car kills a passenger (an employee of Prism Pub !! ) in the auto yesterday early morning near Inorbit Mall.
A case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder has been booked against the Audi driver and his associates.#RoadSafetypic.twitter.com/vhJfsiL9cS
— CYBERABAD TRAFFIC POLICE సైబరాబాద్ ట్రాఫిక్ పోలీస్ (@CYBTRAFFIC) June 29, 2021
“Raghunandan Reddy tried to mislead us, but we have CCTV footage from various places which show that his son Sujit Reddy was driving the car. When we confronted Raghunandan and questioned him strongly, he confessed. After speeding away without stopping, he had asked his son and the other passenger, Ashish Reddy, to hide in a flat. They were returning home from an all-night party when the incident occurred. We have arrested the father as he lied and tried to mislead us,’’ Madhapur Police Station Inspector P Ravindra Prasad said.
The inspector also said that Sujith and Ashish threatened the eye-witnesses — a security guard and a labourer from a nearby under-construction building, soon after the accident, removed the number plates from the car and fled the place. They went into hiding as police began an inquiry into the accident.
Sujit is a construction management graduate. The deceased autorickshaw passenger has been identified as Begumpet resident Umesh Kumar who worked as a captain at Prism Pub in Gachibowli.
Officials at Madhapur Police Station in Cyberabad Police Commissionerate had traced the Audi that is registered in the name of Raghunandan Reddy, who, however, came to the police station on his own along with the family driver.
The Madhapur police have released the video of the incident which shows the Audi speeding on the rain-drenched road and hitting the auto, sending it into an uncontrollable spin.
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Prasad added that though Sujit and Ashish were caught 24 hours after the incident, their blood samples were sent for a test to ascertain if they were driving under the influence of alcohol. “We have collected footage from the liquor store as well as statements from eye-witnesses,” he said.
Police have booked the two youngsters on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, endangering human life, criminal intimidation, and causing disappearance of evidence under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Motor Vehicles Act. Raghunandan Reddy has been charged with harbouring offenders, omitting information, and false personation.
This is the second drunk driving and hit and run case in the last 10 days involving a luxury car. On June 24, three youths in a Mercedes Benz on a joy-ride crashed the vehicle into several two-wheelers and autorickshaw and crushed a 70-year-old woman to death. Twenty-year-old Mohammed Adil and two minors who parked the car at Adil’s home and hid for two days at a relative’s house who tipped off the police.
Sreenivas Janyala is a Deputy Associate Editor at The Indian Express, where he serves as one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political and economic landscape of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. With a career spanning over two decades in mainstream journalism, he provides deep-dive analysis and frontline reporting on the intricate dynamics of South Indian governance.
Expertise and Experience
Regional Specialization: Based in Hyderabad, Sreenivas has spent more than 20 years documenting the evolution of the Telugu-speaking states. His reporting was foundational during the historic Telangana statehood movement and continues to track the post-bifurcation development of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Key Coverage Beats: His extensive portfolio covers a vast spectrum of critical issues:
High-Stakes Politics: Comprehensive tracking of regional powerhouses (BRS, TDP, YSRCP, and Congress), electoral shifts, and the political careers of figures like K. Chandrashekar Rao, Chandrababu Naidu, and Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Internal Security & Conflict: Authoritative reporting on Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), the decline of the Maoist movement in former hotbeds, and intelligence-led investigations into regional security modules.
Governance & Infrastructure: Detailed analysis of massive irrigation projects (like Kaleshwaram and Polavaram), capital city developments (Amaravati), and the implementation of state welfare schemes.
Crisis & Health Reporting: Led the publication's ground-level coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic in South India and major industrial incidents, such as the Vizag gas leak.
Analytical Depth: Beyond daily news, Sreenivas is known for his "Explained" pieces that demystify complex regional disputes, such as river water sharing and judicial allocations between the sister states. ... Read More
