ALAPPUZHA: A lorry driver was found dead under suspicious circumstances near Kalithattu junction near Kanjikuzhy in the early hours of Saturday. The deceased is Shanavas K, 37, of Kozhivila at Karunagapally in Kollam. During vehicle check by the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) on NH 66 at Mararikulam on Friday, Shanavas ran away after abandoning his vehicle. The Mararikulam police said the incident happened around 8.30 pm.
“MVD officials followed and blocked the vehicle carrying M-sand. After parking the vehicle along the road, the driver and helper fled the scene. We registered a complaint following the helper’s statement and conducted search and found the body in a compound, nearly 200 m away from the NH around 2.30 am on Saturday. We suspect he might have suffered a cardiac arrest while running. The body has been shifted to the Alappuzha MCH for postmortem examination. The exact reason for the death could be ascertained only after the autopsy report is out,” an officer said.
The police have registered a case for unnatural death. The helper of the lorry said the driver feared the MVD officials would impose a heavy fine for overload. It may be the reason why he ran away after parking his vehicle, the police said.