VELLORE:It was a chase scene straight out of a typical Indian movie, but it ended in tragedy, since the chaser—a father of two daughters—died in the process.
The drama began after 19-year-old Rekha (name changed) eloped with her teenage lover Karthi, 19, in a car on the eve her marriage with a close relative. The hot pursuit that began immediately left people in Walajapet Town and passersby stunned, as they got to see a man hanging on to the bonnet of a speeding car on the busy Chennai-Krishnagiri Road and National Highway 46. The action sequence continued for nearly 40 minutes before it ended at Rathinagiri.
It all started about 4 pm on Saturday, when the girl’s family was busy in marriage arrangements and receiving guests, completely unaware of her plan to elope with her lover.
Rekha casually walked out of her house in Gandhi Nagar near the Government Hospital in Walajapet and got into a waiting car. On seeing his niece sneaking away, Sivakumar alerted his relatives and chased the vehicle on a two-wheeler, said the police.
The narrow stretch and traffic congestion near the Walajapet Bus Stand slowed down the car. Sivakumar manoeuvred the stretch and went in front of the car to stop it. But the man behind the wheels hit the accelerator.
Sivakumar then jumped on to the bonnet, caught hold of the wiper and kept banging at the windshield of the speeding car that was heading towards the NH. After reaching the NH, the car headed towards Vellore, with the girl’s other relatives in hot pursuit on their bikes. When the car was nearing Rathinagiri, Sivakumar managed to force himself into the vehicle after the windshield gave way.
“The occupants of the vehicle then pushed him out. He had a fatal fall and died,” said Walajapet police. “The man (Sivakumar) was on the speeding car’s bonnet for nearly 12 km,” added the police. On seeing the motionless body of Sivakumar in a pool of blood, his relatives tailing the car gave up their chase and rushed him to a nearby hospital, where the doctors declared him brought dead.
The police registered a case under Section 366 (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her marriage, etc) and 302 (punishment for murder) of IPC against Karthi and three of his associates.
“The girl’s father Arumugam is based in Tiruvannamalai and has been running a furniture shop there for over 10 years. Rekha was in love with the boy for almost an year. Objecting to their relationship, the girl’s family fixed her marriage with her close relative’s son,” the police said.
According to the police, it was Rekha who contacted Karthi to escape from her marriage. “We have despatched teams to Chennai, Bengaluru and Tiruvannamalai to trace the girl, her lover and three others involved in the incident,” they added.
sneaky bride
teen bride elopes with lover in a car on eve of her marriage at Walajapet; uncle Sivakumar, other relatives begin hot chase on bikes
hot pursuit
Car slows down in a crowded and narrow stretch. Sivakumar overtakes it and jumps on to the bonnet when car vrooms
bonnet safari
Sivakumar catches hold of wiper, bangs on windshield, shatters it and enters speeding car. Rode on bonnet for 12 km
fatal fall
Passengers in the car shove Sivakumar off vehicle; he falls down and dies at Rathinagiri. Drama lasts 40 minutes
The drama began after a 19-year-old eloped with her teenage lover Karthi on the eve her marriage