BENGALURU: In a ghastly hit-and-run case, a 45-year-old man died after he was thrown off the flyover near Jakkur Aerodrome early Sunday morning, and his nephew was critically injured, after an anesthetist on a jolly ride rammed his car into his moped.
Govindappa CT, a resident of Jakkur and a pushcart food vendor, had taken Sanjay (12) to watch aeroplanes landing and taking off. The boy’s condition is said to be critical as he came under the wheels of the car and was dragged for about 150 metres on the flyover, and the driver did not stop the vehicle.
A senior police officer said Sanjay, a Class 5 student from Hindupur in Andhra Pradesh, had come down to Bengaluru, and wished to see aeroplanes. Govindappa planned to take him to the flyover near Jakkur Aerodrome, which offers a close view of flights landing and taking off from KIA.
Around 7.30am, he was moving slowly on the flyover on his moped when a speeding Maruti Ritz, coming towards the city, hit the vehicle. The impact was such that Govindappa was thrown off the flyover and landed on the road, more than 50ft below. The speeding car dragged Sanjay, who was riding pillion, and the moped, before the driver sped away. Passersby alerted traffic police and rushed Sanjay to a hospital, where his condition is said to be serious.
The car driver, Varun N, was caught by Hebbal traffic police within minutes, about 4km from the accident spot. Eyewitnesses had alerted police and a couple of bikers had also chased him till Esteem Mall.
Based on a complaint by the victim’s wife, Shashikala, Yelahanka traffic police registered a case under 304A (causing death by rash or negligent act not amounting to culpable homicide).
Had gone to Nandi Hills
Varun N (26), a resident of JP Nagar and hailing from Kolar, works as an anaesthetist at a private hospital on Old Airport Road. After attending a relative’s wedding, he had gone for a drive with four of his friends to Nandi Hills and was returning home, driving the car at about 120kmph. He was remanded in judicial custody.
FLYOVER FATALITIES
Sept 2021
Preetham Kumar (30) and Krithika Raman (28) died after the two-wheeler they were on fell off the Electronics City flyover, after a car rearended their vehicle. The incident was caught on CCTV cameras.
Oct 2017
Mohammed Fakrudhin (37) and Zahir Hussain (45), who were on a bike, were tossed off the busy Madiwala flyover and fell 45ft after a speeding cab rammed their Bajaj Pulsar. They were heading towards Electronics City from Silk Board junction. The Maruti Ritz, was being driven in a reckless manner and crashed into a parapet wall.
August 2016
Two bikers Shailaj Jaikumar (36) and Tirupati Reddy (41) were killed on the spot and another was severely injured after a speeding car rammed their two-wheelers on the elevated flyover in Madiwala. Due to the impact, one bike crashed into the parapet wall and the rider was thrown off the flyover on to the road below.
Sanjay was excited to watch flights
Govindappa’s cousin Aruna had come to Bengaluru with her son Sanjay on Saturday afternoon, and they were to return on Sunday evening. Each time a flight took off, Sanjay would run out of house to watch, so Govindappa had told him he would take him to the viewing point on Sunday.