BENGALURU: A BMTC bus (KA 51 AJ 6167) ran over two people near the Murugeshpalya traffic signal on Old Airport Road on Wednesday night, killing them on the spot. The driver and the conductor escaped from the spot, abandoning the bus, after the accident. The driver Mahesh was later arrested by the Jeevan Bima Nagar police.
While one of the victims was returning from a gym, the other was an e-commerce platform employee who was on a two-wheeler. The two-wheeler rider was taking a U-turn when the bus ran over them.
One of the deceased was identified as Tapas Dali (35), a Rapido rider, while the other victim’s identity had not been established. His mobile phone was badly smashed in the incident. Both bodies were taken to the CV Raman Hospital for post-mortem examination. The Jeevan Bima Nagar traffic police have registered a case and taken up further investigation.
Meanwhile, the BMTC on Thursday claimed that it had examined CCTV footage and added that the bus driver was not at fault. It said the bus was moving straight ahead when the two-wheeler banged against a car and the riders came under the rear right wheel of the bus.
Joint Police Commissioner (traffic) M N Anuchet said the accident occurred when the bus was on its way from HAL towards Isro junction. “The two were on the Rapido motorcycle and came under the rear wheel of the bus. We have registered a case against the bus driver Mahesh and we are checking CCTV footage to establish how the two came under the bus”, he added.
