Silvester D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Jul 1: A tipper truck which was being driven by a cleaner in an inebriated condition, caused the death of a person at Varamballi in Brahmavar in the taluk, besides injuring several persons at different places on its route. The serial accidents occurred on the evening of Sunday June 29.

The owner of the tipper had reportedly parked the vehicle near his home at Katapady. The cleaner of the tipper, identified as Manjunath Bovi from Hangal, who had consumed excessive doses of liquor, was emboldened enough to test his driving skills. He began driving the tipper, and soon hit a pedestrian at Kaup. The truck then moved towards Kundapur and hit a person near Uppoor Bridge near Brahmavar on the route.

In front of SMS College in Varambally village, Brahmavar, the tipper knocked down pedestrian, Durgappa (22) to death, after swerving to extreme left. Even after this incident, the tipper raced towards Kundapur. A case of death by negligent and rash driving was registered in this connection at Brahmavar police station.

Some local youth, sensing that something was amiss, alerted Kota police station about the speeding killer tipper. Before reaching Kota, the vehicle hit a pedestrian named Dasa opposite Nartaki Bar in Saligrama,. When the Kota poilce tried to stop the tipper, the driver drove away and hit a couple, Gopal Pai and Shanta Pai. Gopal Pai, member of Kota gram panchayat, and his wife, Shanta, were returning home on foot after attending the night puja at Sri Kashi Mutt Kota. The tipper came to a halt after scaling the road divider nearby immediately after this accident.

Both Gopal Pai and Shanta Pai, who were grievously injured, were admitted to Manipal Hopsital for treatment.

In the meanwhile, some youth from Brahmavar and Saligrama, who were following the tipper after getting angry at the negligence of the driver, reportedly thrashed the cleaner after finding him at Kota. The Kota polie arrested him and booked him for various offences.