COIMBATORE: A 13-year-old girl died after being run over and dragged by a mini-truck allegedly driven by a drunk neighbour without a licence near Kempatty Colony in Coimbatore on Thursday evening. The vehicle owner, Rajendran, who is the girl’s brother-in-law and was seated beside the driver while also allegedly drunk, has been arrested along with the driver.
The deceased, Sowmiya, was the younger daughter of daily wage labourers Balan and Savithri of Arivozhi Nagar. She was studying in Class 9 at a Corporation school near Kempatty Colony.
According to police, Sowmiya had returned from school and gone to her grandmother’s house. Around 6.30 pm, as she was walking on the street with her mother, a mini-truck knocked her down at LG Thottam, near Kempatty Colony. The vehicle dragged her for a few metres, leaving her with severe head injuries. Locals rushed her to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH), where she was declared brought dead.
Investigations revealed that the mini-truck was owned by Rajendran (38), Sowmiya’s brother-in-law, and driven at the time by Kannan (35), Rajendran’s neighbour. Both men had allegedly consumed liquor earlier that evening. Kannan had requested Rajendran to teach him driving, and Rajendran handed over the wheel while seated beside him.
Kannan is said to have pressed the accelerator instead of applying the brakes, causing the accident. They were remanded in judicial custody on Thursday night.