The youth, accused in the hit-and-run case at Thiruvallam, which led to the death of two people, panicked and fled the accident spot, police said. Naveen Sibi (25), a native of Ernakulam employed with UST Global, and Mridula Ann Umman (25), from Thodupuzha in Idukki, who worked at EY, died in the accident on Thursday.

Thiruvallam police have identified the accused as Vishnu, a resident of Malayinkeezhu. He has been slapped with charges pertaining to causing death by rash or negligent driving, not amounting to culpable homicide.

While the initial assumption was that Sibi, who rode the two-wheeler, lost control, rammed the divider and hit the electric post, a closer inspection of the accident stretch revealed the absence of visible skid marks. This raised suspicion in the police. "It just didn't look like the vehicle skidded and veered off the main lane. So, we started probing the possibility of a hit-and-run. The paint marks on the bike handle also suggested it may have been hit by another vehicle," Arul R B Krishna, DIG & Commissioner of Police, told Onmanorama. 

Scouring the CCTV visuals also didn't yield much until one car was seen moving precariously close to the two-wheeler. The number was tracked, and when the police team reached his house, Vishnu broke down. He told police that he halted the car soon after the accident, came back to check on the two-wheeler passengers. He reportedly told police that he got scared at the sight of two people lying there, bleeding and unconscious. He went back to the car and drove away.

Vishnu is a student in his early 20s. He had an elderly, ailing relative with him in the car when the accident happened. He didn't make any attempt to go into hiding, police said. An inspection of the vehicle showed that there was a dent on the left rear side. "The speeding car may have brushed its left rear against the handle of the bike, causing it to lose control and run into the divider," the Commissioner said.

Vishnu is currently being questioned and will be produced before the court. The demise of two young techies in the road accident has shocked the IT community in Thiruvananthapuram.