Hyderabad: A 32-year-old businessman died after being struck by a speeding Mercedes on the Durgam Cheruvu cable bridge in Madhapur in the early hours of April 19, and a week later, police have tracked down the driver who fled the scene, tracing him all the way to Ooty.
The victim, Shyam Raj, a resident of Hafeezpet, had stopped on the bridge with his wife around 3.15 am to take photographs. While Raj stood on the road clicking pictures of his wife, who was on the walkway, the Mercedes rammed into him before hitting the railing and flipping over. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but succumbed to his injuries later.
According to the police, the couple had earlier gone to send a parcel at a travel bus service and had a late-night dinner before stopping briefly at the bridge on their way back home. The car was travelling from Jubilee Hills towards IKEA at the time of the accident. Passersby rushed to the aid of both the victim and the driver, who had managed to get out of the vehicle. The driver, however, used the confusion to flee the scene.
Though closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras on the bridge captured the accused fleeing, poor lighting conditions rendered the footage inconclusive. A case was registered on charges of negligence causing death, based on a complaint by the victim’s wife.
The abandoned car, bearing a West Bengal registration number, was seized and taken to the police station. Preliminary verification revealed the vehicle was registered to Quantum Minerals and Metals Private Limited.
Manhunt in multiple states
The manhunt that followed spanned multiple states. According to the Times of India, initial teams were dispatched to Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and parts of Odisha. The breakthrough, however, came through call data records (CDR) of the accused’s wife.
“The first clue came from analysing the CDR of his wife, which helped us trace the accused to Tamil Nadu,” a Madhapur police official told TOI.
TOI has identified the accused as Mohammed Abdul Naveed, a software employee from Tolichowki. He will be brought back to Hyderabad on Sunday, April 26, and produced before a court within 24 hours.
According to police, the accused swerved to avoid another vehicle, lost control and struck Shyam Raj. After the incident, he abandoned the car on the bridge, returned home, took his wife and children, and fled the city. His exact route to Ooty will be established once his statement is recorded, the police said. Investigators are also verifying the validity of his driving licence.
The case has also drawn attention due to the vehicle’s ownership trail. The Mercedes had changed hands multiple times before being purchased by the accused, with registration records still listing a Kolkata-based company, Quantum Minerals and Metals Private Ltd, as the owner.
