Kottayam: Police arrested and remanded a 33-year-old ambulance driver in judicial custody after he allegedly drove under the influence of alcohol and rammed a scooter at Kalathipady. The accused is Binil K Peter, a native of Vadavathoor.

On Saturday, officers reached the spot after receiving information about a collision between an ambulance and a scooter near Kalathipady junction. During questioning, police found the driver in an inebriated state and unable to control himself. They shifted him to Kottayam General Hospital, where doctors conducted a medical examination and collected blood samples. Police later registered a case based on a complaint lodged by a relative of the injured.

The accident occurred around noon when the ambulance, driven solely by the accused from Ponpally towards Kalathipady, collided with a scooter ridden by a couple from Aymanam. Both sustained injuries and sought treatment at a hospital.

Police said the accused, as an ambulance driver responsible for transporting patients and accident victims for urgent medical care, was fully aware that driving under the influence could endanger other motorists, passengers and pedestrians, and could even result in fatalities. They added that this increased the seriousness of the offence. The court remanded the accused in judicial custody after he was produced before it.