Pathanamthitta crash: Two arrested over retired fire official’s death; drunk driving charge invoked

Pathanamthitta: Police have arrested two people in connection with the car crash at Aban Junction in Pathanamthitta that killed a retired Fire and Rescue Services official and injured nine others on Wednesday evening.

The arrested are Jinu, a native of Puthenpeedika, and Viswajith. Police suspect both were under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident. We are awaiting the medical test results to confirm this, Pathanamthitta Police told Onmanorama.

The deceased was identified as Abu Baker, 74, a native of Valanchuzhy in Pathanamthitta. According to the FIR registered by the Pathanamthitta police, the accident occurred around 6.45 pm on Wednesday at Aban Junction.

The FIR states that the first accused was driving the car, while the second accused was travelling as a passenger. The car was allegedly being driven at high speed from the Kumbazha side towards Aban Junction. The vehicle hit Abu Baker and nine other pedestrians walking along the Kumbazha-Pathanamthitta road. It also crashed into two cars parked by the roadside.

The impact threw the pedestrians onto the road, causing serious injuries. Local residents rushed the injured to Pathanamthitta General Hospital, where doctors confirmed Abu Baker’s death. The other nine people sustained serious injuries, with one reportedly in critical condition. Of the 10 people injured in the crash, two were passengers in the speeding car.

The FIR alleges that the accused drove the vehicle in a rash and negligent manner at high speed, despite being aware that such driving could cause the death of motorists and pedestrians.

The case has been registered under Sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) and 3(5) (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the BNS, and Section 185 (driving by a drunken person or a person under the influence of drugs) of the Motor Vehicles Act.