Four people of a family from Bangalore, including a 24-year-old fashion designer, were burnt alive in a gruesome road accident on the Palamaner Ghat section near Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday.
The deceased have been identified as Satyanaraya (58), his wife Mahalakshmi (48), son Prashant (26) and daughter Deepa Mala (24). The family was residing in Sampangiramnagar for the last one month after they shifted from Wilson Garden.
According to police, the accident occurred around 4.15 am when they were returning to Bangalore after visiting the Tirupati temple.
Their speeding Maruti Omni van went out of control and rammed into a tree on the roadside. The car then caught fire and three of them were burnt alive on the spot. Prashant, who was severely injured, was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed.
Satyanarayana, an industrialist, had a silk factory in Bommasandra and his daughter had completed her graduation in fashion designing. Prashant had completed his mechanical engineering course and was assisting his father in his business.
“She had met me only three days back and invited me for a trip on December 27 for her birthday. She was a very brave girl,” said Shalini, a childhood friend of Deepa’s.
Prashant had informed his friend Murthy that the family was having trouble in filling petrol due to the ongoing bandh in the state. The family used to visit Tirupati once a month. “He called me around 10 pm and said they had waited three hours for a petrol bunk to open. This delayed their return. The police informed Deepa’s cousin Keerthishree over phone at 5 am on Wednesday about the accident,” said Murthy.
The bodies of the couple and the daughter were brought to the city on Wednesday evening to their residence. The last rites will be performed on Thursday after Prashant’s body arrives.