Two motorists were killed and four others were injured after a vehicle belonging to a relative of BJP MLA Hartalu Halappa rammed into several vehicles in central Bengaluru on Monday, police said, adding the driver was taken into custody for interrogation.
Halappa is the legislator from Sagar constituency in Shivamogga. He is also the chairman of Mysore Sales International Limited (MSIL).
The deceased were identified as Majeed Khan (36), a resident of HBR Layout and an automobile spare parts dealer, and Ayyappa (60), a resident of KG Halli who worked as manager of a parking lot.
The vehicle belonging to the MLA’s relative ran over Khan, police said.
The injured – Riyaz Pasha, Mohammed K. Riyaz, Mohammed Saleem, and Sher Gilani – are undergoing treatment at private hospitals.
According to police, the accident near the additional chief metropolitan magistrate (ACMM) court on Nrupatunga Road took place at around 3.15pm, when the car of the MLA’s relative, according to its driver M Mohan, lost control.
The vehicle driven by Mohan hit two other vehicles and three two-wheelers, a police officer aware of the matter said.
Mohan said he works for Ramu Suresh, a retired forest officer and a resident of Yelahanka. Halappa’s daughter, Sushmitha Halappa, is married to Suresh’s son.
Mohan said he was on his way to pick up Sushmitha, a doctor, from the Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences, when the accident occurred, the officer quoted above said on condition of anonymity.
“Only the driver was present in the car at the time of the accident. The driver claims that when he was approaching a traffic signal, instead of slowing down, he pressed the accelerator by mistake which led to the accident,” the officer said.
At the time of the incident, Pasha was riding pillion on a scooter driven by Khan. Saleem and Gilani were riding together on another two-wheeler.
Riyaz was also on his two-wheeler. While Khan died on the spot after the vehicle ran over him, Ayyappa sustained head injuries and succumbed in the hospital.
Soon after the incident, police rushed to the spot and took the driver into custody for investigation.
Police are checking CCTV footage of the area to ascertain if Mohan was talking over the phone while driving, the officer said. The vehicle was also seized by police.
