Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Jan 14: Rajendra Shetty (62), an entrepreneur from Karnad near Mulky in the taluk was knocked down by a Maruti Swift car that came from the direction of Suratkal on Friday January 13. The accident occurred when Shetty was on his morning walk routine at the highway bend near Karnad Industrial Area. Rajendra was operating a stone quarry near Kinnigoli.

The deceased was popular in the area on account of his gentle and friendly behaviour. He is survived by wife and a foster son.

Rajendra Shetty

After hitting Shetty, the car veered to the roadside and hit the barricade. As the wheels of the car got stuck in the metal barricade, it could not escape, in spite of best efforts of three persons occupying it. A few auto rickshaw drivers who saw that the barricade set up by them had been damaged, demanded compensation from the occupants of the car, who refused to oblige. Then they called Mulky police. Those inside the car, who never revealed that they had knocked a person down even after one and half hours of the accident, were led by the police to the station.

In the meanwhile, the family members who were overtaken by anxiety at the fact that Shetty had not returned from walk, went in search for him, and found his injured lifeless body having been deposited among thick grass opposite the local petrol bunk. The auto drivers, who came to know about this, conveyed it to the police. The policemen then questioned the people in the car and took them into custody. They also registered a complaint against them.

The locals have condemned the arrogance of the youngsters in the car for not making arrangements to provide medical help to Shetty immediately after the accident and not even seeking help from others to save him. The CCTV camera of the petrol bunk has blurred images of the accident. The personnel at the petrol bunk said they had heard the sound but thought that some vehicle had brushed against the barricade before moving ahead.