CHENNAI: A 77-year-old man, who had come to visit relatives living in a roadside tent near Chengalpattu, died on Saturday night after he was allegedly knocked down by a reversing car. The deceased, Kumar, had worked as a daily wage labourer.
A few days ago, Kumar had come to see two of his relatives who live in a makeshift tent along the road in Thimmavaram. “On Saturday night, he was walking along the road when a reversing car knocked him down. He sustained severe head injuries and died on the spot,” a police officer told TNIE.
The driver, G Saravanan (43), a private software firm employee, initially got down to see what happened but when local residents gathered around the car, he fled. His wife and child were also in the car with him, the officer said. As it was raining, Maha, one of Kumar’s relative had to hold an umbrella over his body to keep it from getting drenched till the ambulance arrived. Medical personnel later confirmed his death.
The Chengalpattu Taluk police registered a case and, using CCTV footage from the area, identified the driver, who was detained for interrogation. The police said he had been following a navigation app and had taken a wrong turn. While reversing, he allegedly could not see Kumar, who was behind the car. A medical examination showed he was not under the influence of alcohol. Further probe is on.