Hyderabad: New Year's Eve celebrations turned tragic when two inebriated engineering students, K. Pranav and his friend P. Srivardhan Rao, drove their car over two pedestrians on Banjara Hills Road No. 2, killing them on the spot early on Sunday morning.
The car travelling from KBR Park to Panjagutta crashed into Bheemavarapu Eswari, 55, and Avidi Sreenu, 50, killing both on the spot. It then hit two empty cars parked on the roadside before coming to a halt. The victims were apparently crossing the road when the accident occurred.
According to police, the students were driving so fast when they hit the pedestrians that the victims were thrown in the air for more than 10 feet and hit the signboard of an eatery on the road opposite Green Mosque.
Police said Eswari, a private hospital helper, was scheduled to travel to the United States with her son Arun Kumar, a techie. Sreenu is survived by his wife and three daughters.
The engineering students, Pranav and Srivardhan Rao, both 21, from Vidyanagar and Nacharam, also suffered serious injuries, according to police. M. Narender, Banjara Hills inspector, stated that the accused were shifted to a private hospital for treatment, and that their blood samples tested positive for alcohol.
Police were called after a passerby heard a loud noise, but nothing was visible because of the pre-dawn darkness. Two people were discovered lying at the entrance of the eatery, along with a car that had crashed into two other vehicles. They alerted the police who went to the spot.
Eswari's son Arun Kumar told Deccan Chronicle that his mother lived in a rented room near her workplace while he lived in Bachupally. His mother was with him until Saturday afternoon and that they were leaving for their native place on Sunday to participate in their village festival, he said.
"We were waiting for my mother to arrive so we could start early on Sunday. Then, we got the news of her death in an accident. She worked really hard for our education and career. When I received an offer to work in the United States, I requested her to accompany us, so that she can relax for some time,” he explained.
It is learnt that after being alerted by passers-by, the police arrived at the accident spot and dialled a number from Eswari's 'received calls' list. They got in touch with Eswari's roommate Durga, who gave the contact of her son Arun Kumar.
On the other hand, Sreenu, the other victim, lived in Kondapur with his wife Seetha and three daughters. He had left the house on Saturday evening, saying he had some urgent work. When he did not return until late at night, his daughter Sravani attempted to call him but discovered that his phone had been turned off.
They tried calling again on Sunday morning, but the phone was still switched off. "When I called again around 10 am, a policeman answered and reported that my father had died in a road accident," Sravani told Deccan Chronicle.
The accused Pranav and Srivardhan Rao were booked under IPC Section 304-II for culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Police are also checking the CCTV footage to trace where the car came from. The New Year’s Eve drunk driving checks had continued till 4 am, a police officer said.
The car, TS07 EX 5195, was registered in the name of Kodali Kiran Kumar. No pending challans found on this vehicle.
