BANGALURU : A drunk driver of a truck mowed down four labourers, killing one of them on the spot, at Doddabelavangala near Doddballapur on Friday. A senior police officer said the driver of the goods vehicle was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident.
The deceased has been identified as Thimmanna (52), a resident of Thodlubande village. The injured are Govindaraju, Gangaraju and Lakkanna of Sasalu village.
Police said that around 7.30 pm, the labourers were fixing a water pipeline connecting a government school. The Gram Panachayat contractor was supervising the work. The driver of the goods vehicle was heading towards Sasalu village when he knocked them down, killing Thimmanna on the spot.
The contractor, who caught the driver, realised that he was under the influence of alcohol. As he was trying to rush the injured labourers to hospital, the driver managed to escape.
Three of the workers were taken to Doddballapur Government Hospital where the condition of two is said to be critical. Doddabelavangala police have seized the vehicle and are on the lookout for the accused driver.
Previous incidents
Nov 1, 2015: A 36-year-old drunk techie, Baljit Singh, rammed two pedestrians on Sarjapur Main Road. Mala (42) and Chinnappa (48) were killed on the spot.
July 17, 2013: Krishnappa, a landlord and former president of Bommnahalli Municipality, was accused of running over 12 people with his SUV, killing four of them on the spot in Parappana Agrahara. He was drunk and fled from the scene.
June 3, 2013: A youth, Rajesh Reddy, son of a realtor, rammed his Audi car into an autorickshaw, killing Deepak (19) while his two cousins were escaped with injuries on MG Road near Mayo Hall. Reddy, a resident of Indiranagar was also involved two other such incidents later.
March 11, 2012: A drunk woman, Mahi, driving a high-end SUV ran amok, killing a mason sleeping on the pavement in front of a shed in HRBR Layout. Four other labourers were also injured. R Nagaraj, employed on a nearby construction site, died instantly while Shivayogi, Hanumantappa, L Gouda and Rangappa, sleeping next to him, escaped with injuries. The woman abandoned the Toyota Fortuner and fled with a man Ravi who was in the vehicle. Mahi is still at large.
Jan 25, 2009: Marketing operations manager Karthik Somaiah, who was under the influence of alcohol, hit four morning walkers — Ramanath Panathur (73), Kempegowda (76), a civil contractor, Radhakrishna (66) and Kodandarama Reddy (63), a retired professor, before ramming into a cyclist, Siddaiah (69). A security guard was killed on the spot.