Techie driving to his wedding in Madurai, ploughs into sanitation workers, kills one

india

Updated: Sep 11, 2019 18:51 IST

Hours before his wedding, a 24-year-old bridegroom was arrested after he drove his car into a group of sanitation workers, killing one of them in a horrific road accident in Madurai, 360 km south of Chennai early Wednesday.

Police said the accused Jayakanth alias Nishanthan, was on his way to marriage hall.

“The accident happened around 6 am in Marudhu Pandiayar Nagar. When the sanitary workers were standing before the corporation zonal office to begin their work, the speeding car rammed into the zonal office premises and hit the workers. In this bizarre accident, four sanitary workers received severe injuries. Of them, one named Tamilarasan (43) died when he was taken to Madurai Rajaji Government Hospital,” said a police officer.

CCTV footage shows the car suddenly swerving right and hitting the sanitation workers who were standing on the pavement.

His marriage was temporarily cancelled following his arrest. Police said preliminary tests indicated that the accused was not under the influence of alcohol.

“When we questioned him, he said that he was rushing to get ready with marriage arrangements at the wedding hall. It seems he slept late in the night on Tuesday. He was to tie the knot by 10 am,” the police officer said.

Nishanthan works as a software engineer in Bengaluru. Nishanthan, who was initially arrested by Anna Nagar police, was later handed over to Madurai City Traffic Investigation Wing in Thallakkulam, Madurai.

“After receiving the information over this accident, we have arrested the accused. We are conducting further investigations,” S Davidson Devasirvatham, Madurai City Police Commissioner said.