Thrissur: Car racing at night leads to death of one person

A race between a Mahindra Thar and a BMW in Kottekkad area of the central Kerala district of Thrissur led to the death of one person after the SUV rammed into the taxi the victim was travelling in, police said.

The incident occurred between 8.30 and 9 PM on Wednesday night when the victim and his family were returning from Guruvayur, police said.

An officer of Viyyur police station said the victim’s wife, daughter and granddaughter as well as the taxi driver also suffered injuries and are presently undergoing treatment.

The officer also said that the drivers of the Thar and the BMW have been taken into custody and alcohol was detected in the blood alcohol test of the former.

Police said two separate FIRs — one for causing death and another for causing injuries — would be registered after inquest proceedings are completed.

Meanwhile, the victim’s wife told a TV channel that the accident happened suddenly.

She said that as she was pulled out from the taxi, her husband — who was sitting in the front seat — was not moving and locals were saying that the jeep was travelling at a very high speed.

The taxi driver told the TV channel that after the BMW went past them at high speed, he heard another vehicle approaching fast and therefore, he stopped the car and moved it to a side of the road.

Despite that, the speeding Thar rammed into the taxi, he claimed.

Visuals aired on TV channels showed locals detaining the Thar driver after the accident.

Police said that the BMW had sped away from the area, but was later identified based on CCTV footage of the area.