Four people were killed and another injured in an accident near Kilimanoor during the wee hours of Monday. The incident occurred in Karette along the Venjaramoodu-Kilimanoor road around 1.30 a.m. when the car they were travelling in rammed a concrete culvert.
The deceased were identified as Shameer, 31, of Venjaramoodu, Peer Mohammed alias Sulphi, 39, of Kadakkal, Lal, 45, of Kazhakuttom, and Najeeb, 35, of Kowdiar. The fifth passenger, Nivaz, 31, of Venjaramoodu, was admitted to a private hospital in Venjaramoodu with critical injuries, the police said.
The group was on their way to Thiruvananthapuram when the incident took place. The police suspected that the Navaz, who is believed to have been behind the steering wheel, could have dozed off.
The police and fire force personnel rushed to the spot to remove the passengers who were stuck within the mangled remains of the car. The four deceased were declared dead soon after being brought to the hospital. The police recovered alcohol bottles from the car.
Lal was a habitual offender who is known to have been involved in nearly 20 cases including those pertaining to murder. He was an accused in the murder of a fruit stall employee in Kazhakuttom in December 2017 and was currently out on bail, the police said.
