E-Paper
12-year-old run over by car is picked up by driver, dumped a few km away
According to the police, the boy was crossing the road near his school in Kaithakuzhy when a speeding car hit him. When a crowd gathered, the occupants of the car promised to take him to the hospital.
A 12-year-old run over by a car in Kerala’s Palakkad died on Thursday evening after the driver who had promised to take the boy to the hospital, dumped him by the roadside a few kilometres away.
According to the police, P Sujith was crossing the road near his school in Kaithakuzhy when a speeding car hit him. When a crowd gathered, the occupants of the car promised to take him to the hospital. A short distance later, they persuaded the boy and a local resident to get off the car on the excuse that the car had had a puncture.
Local resident, Paraman, who accompanied the young boy, said the accused got them to get off the vehicle.
It took them an hour before they could find another vehicle willing to take the boy to the hospital.
“The incident took place at 5 pm and we reached a private hospital in Athani at 6.30 pm,” said Paraman. The boy died 30 minutes later.
Hospital officials, who did not wish to be named, said the victim would have survived if he received medical attention on time.
Police have seized the vehicle and arrested the driver while the other three occupants have been summoned for questioning, all natives of Malappuram district.
Kasaba station house officer K Unnikrishnan said the vehicle was registered in the name of one Ashraf Puthananthani, who is a resident of Malappuram. Puthananthani said he gave his car to his friends and was not aware of the accident, said an official. “A person named P Nasar was driving the car when the accident took place. He has been arrested,” Unnikrishnan added.
A senior police officer, who did not wish to be identified, said the four have been charged with culpable homicide.
In their statement to the police, the accused said they left him because they feared a police case and had incorrectly assessed the severity of the boy’s injuries.
