In less than a day, the Yeshwanthpur traffic police tracked down and arrested a motorist who ran down two delivery personnel in the wee hours of Tuesday. The incident took place near a residential apartment on BFW Road off Tumkur Road around 1.15 a.m.
According to the police, the deceased, Gowtham M. (21) and Sreekanth (27), lived in Manjunathanagar and worked as delivery partners for a private firm. They were on their way home after delivering a parcel in Yeshwanthpur.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that their scooter was hit by a speeding car heading in the same direction. They were flung out of the two-wheeler on impact. The car driver did not stop but sped off. The accident was recorded by a CCTV camera installed in a residential building, but we could not make out the number plate,” said a police officer.
Gowtham was riding the scooter while Sreekanth was on the pillion seat. They sustained severe injuries in the accident and were taken to a private hospital in the area where the doctors declared Sreekanth brought dead. Gowtham died while he was being taken to the Nimhans (National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences).
Soon after the accident, the Yeshwanthpura traffic police rushed to the spot and collected a few pieces of registration number plate. The front portion of the car had shattered due to the impact of the accident, and they were able to get some parts of the licence plate.
“We went to showrooms to identify the make of the car. Though there was CCTV footage recorded of the accident, it was not clear as it was dark,” a senior police officer said. He added that after inquiries with several showrooms, it was concluded that the car was a Chevrolet Captiva.
Meanwhile, the police with the help of number plate pieces put together parts of the ten digit number and obtained details of around 15 cars registered in and around the city RTOs that met the criteria. After analysing each and every car, the team finally zeroed in on one car. It belonged to an owner of a travel agency at Madanayakanahalli, identified as Bharath (25). “We found the car in a garage where Bharath had left it for repair soon after the accident,” the police officer added.
The police claim that Bharath initially tried to mislead them by stating that his friend had taken the car. After detailed questioning he finally allegedly confessed that he was behind the wheel. “He had gone to a hotel to get dinner and was driving home,” said the police.
The accused has been arrested for death due to negligence and also charged with trying to destroy evidence. “We are yet to ascertain whether he was under the influence of alcohol or other substances,” said the police.
