Eight persons, including two women, were killed in a ghastly accident between a Tata Sumo and a goods vehicle at Ramadevarahalli Gate near Belluru late on Thursday night. All the deceased are the president and the directors of Al Falah Minorities Credit Co-operative Society.
The deceased have been identified as the society president Akbar Naseem Pasha (40), directors Bakar Sharieff (50), Tahir Sultan Sharieff (30), Naushad Maqbul Pasha (45), Haseen Taj Khaleem (50), Mahboob Dastar Khan (50), Maqsood Mohammed (25) and Shaheda Khanum (40). Maqsood Mohammed was also the district president of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike’s minority wing.
The society, started in 2004, was extending loan facilities to the Muslim traders of the taluk and had an annual turnover of Rs 4 crore. The deceased were the office-bearers of the 3rd batch of the board and the election for the new board was scheduled to be held on December 8.
The directors had attended the board meeting and were on their way to Taj Hotel near Kunigal for dinner when the accident occurred.
Out of 11 directors, one was absent for the meeting. The rest were travelling in the Tata Sumo on Chamarajanagar-Jewargi NH towards Kunigal. Akbar, who was driving the vehicle tried to overtake an autorickshaw, when the tempo coming in the opposite direction rammed into the vehicle, killing four on the spot.
Two injured were shifted to Adichunchanagiri Institute of Medical Sciences and Hospital near Bellur Cross, succumbed to injuries. Two others, who were shifted to Columbia Asia hospital in Mysuru, breathed their last on Friday morning.