The cleaner of a bus who allegedly took the vehicle for a joy ride ran over a couple of road users killing them on the spot here late on Monday night.
According to police sources, the bus that was hired to transport software professionals was parked near an IT company on the Old Mahabalipuram Road while the driver was at dinner. The cleaner S. Ramakrishnan (18) of Krishnagiri district who had no driving licence, started the bus.
He lost control of the vehicle while driving near Karapakkam and hit a pedestrian Jayakumar (27) of Thoraipakkam, supervisor in a construction company. The victim succumbed to grievous injuries. While trying to apply the brakes, the accused stamped on the accelerator pedal thereby increasing the speed. The bus then hit a motorcyclist Ashok Kumar (23), a third year Electronics and Communication Engineering student in a private college. He also died on the spot.
On receiving information, the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Thoraipakkam) K.N. Murali chased the bus with a small team of police personnel and some local people. Patrol vehicles were diverted towards the scene of the accidents for relief operations. “The bus also hit an autorickshaw causing damages to the vehicle. We arrested Ramakrishnan and handed him over to the traffic police for investigation. He claimed to have taken the bus for a jolly ride,” Mr. Murali said.
Confirming that Ramakrishnan did not have a driving licence, Additional Commissioner of Police M. Shakeel Akhter said action would be taken against the driver on charges of negligence. The bus was seized, he said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic-South) M.C. Muthusamy said though the accused claimed to be 18 years old, he would be referred to a doctor to ascertain his age. “If he is found to be a minor, we will send him to a home for custody,” he said.
The Guindy Traffic Investigation Police have registered a case.
Hit and run
In another case, police said N. Maheswari (23) of Guduvancheri, working in a call centre on Anna Salai, died in a hit and run case on Monday night. Police said the woman was found dead with a serious injury. A special team of the Anna Square traffic police was investigating.
At Ennore, a lorry cleaner M. Dinesh Kumar (19) of Vilambakkam in Tiruvallur district, died in a freak accident on Monday night. Police said the lorry driver K. Ramesh (34) moved the vehicle without noticing that Ramesh was sleeping under the vehicle. The victim was crushed to death. The driver was arrested.
