SUV rams two-wheeler on Andhra highway, travels 15 km with victim’s body on roof

Erraswamy, a tractor mechanic and resident of Cholasamudram village, was returning home on his two-wheeler when a speeding car dashed him near Y Kothapalli on the national highway. The car did not halt after the accident and the local police who arrived at the scene could not find the victim’s body. Later, on receiving information from locals at Hanimi Reddy Palli, about 15 km away, the police identified the car involved in the accident along with the victim.

Sub-Inspector Muneer Ahmed of Atmakuru police station told indianexpress.com that the owner of the vehicle was contacted based on the vehicle registration details and it was found that he had sold the vehicle a week ago. The vehicle was moving from Anantapur to Hassan in Karnataka via Kalyanadurgam and there were no street lights on the stretch.

“The accident took place at around 8.30 pm and it was quite dark. The driver probably did not know about the body on top of the vehicle. There is no street lighting on this route. When the car reached a village, the people over there noticed the body and tried to stop the vehicle. The driver panicked and left the car on the roadside. The victim was found dead by then and the driver is still absconding,” the sub-inspector added.

The police said no CCTV footage or any electronic devices belonging to the accused driver is available. “We have information about the accused and we will soon catch him,” the SI added. While reports suggested that the accused was driving under the influence at the time of the accident, the police denied the same and said it was too early to conclude so. After a postmortem examination, the body of the deceased was handed over to his family. He is survived by his wife and two children.