HYDERABAD: A 30-year-old software engineer, allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol, caused five accidents in a one-km-long stretch in a span of15 minutes in the IT corridor in the early hours of Monday, leaving one person dead and 10 others injured. Police said that he was taken into custody.
The accused, identified as Kranthi Kumar, was driving a Volkswagen Polo from Jubilee Hills towards his residence in Nizampet around 12.45 am. He reportedly got drunk in a club in Jubilee Hills and was driving home alone in his car when he rammed other vehicles and pedestrians on the road from Mindspace Junction, the police added.
Raidurgam Ch Venkanna said, “When we checked his blood alcohol content, it showed 550mg/dL while the permissible limit is only 30mg/dL.”
According to the police, Kranthi caused the first accident when he was driving near Mindspace Junction, where he collided with a car that got damaged in the mishap. He then drove towards Biodiversity junction, where he hit a motorcycle, causing injuries to the riders.
The techie then steered towards Shaikpet flyover and struck a pedestrian, who succumbed to his injuries, the police said. “The identity of the pedestrian is unknown and the investigation is underway,” Venkanna added.
Kranthi then rammed another bike, injuring two bikers, and then collided with an auto-rickshaw, injuring three others. The car ultimately came to a halt only as the front tyres got damaged, the police said.
Noticing the chaos caused by Kranthi, one of the passersby dialled 100 and notified the police. “Our night duty team reached the spot immediately and apprehended him even as he was trying to escape,” the SHO said, adding that he has been taken into custody.
In the entire episode, Kranthi injured 10 persons, the police noted. “One of them received a fracture in the leg whereas the others sustained minor injuries,” Venkanna said.
The Raidurgam police registered a case against Kumar under IPC Sections 304 Part II and 337 on charges of rash driving.