CHENNAI: A 25-year-old lorry driver was arrested under a non-bailable section of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), after he allegedly mowed down two other lorry drivers on the Manali Expressway in the wee hours of Sunday.
According to police, the deceased - Gnanaraj (47), a resident of Kolathur, and Madasamy (45), a resident of Sankarankovil - were drivers of container trucks bound for the harbour. On Sunday, around 4 am, they parked their vehicles on the Expressway near an iron shop in Sathangadu village, before proceeding to a tea stall on the other side of the road.
It was then that L Selladorai, who tried to move past the line up of trucks by manoeuvring his vehicle through a gap in the divider from the wrong side, hit the duo who were walking across to their trucks. Both died on the spot, police said. The bodies were later moved to the Stanley Medical College and a post-mortem was conducted.
The Madhavaram traffic investigation wing registered a case against Selladorai under Section 279 and 304 (class II). The latter is a non-bailable section, which is often slapped on those driving vehicles under the influence of alcohol. “We wanted to send out a strong message to those who drive on the wrong side of the road. Hence, the charge,” a police official said.