3 students crash into truck, fall off bike; run over near Chikkajala fort

The police suspect that Suchith, who was riding the bike, initially crashed into a heavy goods vehicle while trying to switch lanes at high speed. As trio fell off the bike, an unidentified vehicle ran over them, killing them, before speeding away.

Bengaluru: Three students on a motorbike were killed in a road accident on the airport road near the Chikkajala fort in the early hours of Thursday.

According to Chikkajala traffic police, the incident occurred around 1.30 am when the trio, identified as Suchith, Rohith, and Harshavardhan, all aged between 21 and 22 years and doing their fourth-year BSc at the College of Horticulture, GKVK, were riding towards the city.

The police suspect that Suchith, who was riding the bike, initially crashed into a heavy goods vehicle while trying to switch lanes at high speed. As they fell off the bike, an unidentified vehicle ran over them and sped away. The trio died on the spot. The police are yet to identify the driver and his vehicle.

“They might have sustained grievous injuries after crashing into the truck. We don’t know how fast they were riding,” said the source. Their bodies were taken to Dr B R Ambedkar Medical College, KG Halli. Their blood samples have been collected to check for alcohol content.

There were reportedly two other friends on another bike with them but they haven’t been traced as on Thursday evening, noted a police source.

Professors from the college told DH that the students had just begun their seventh semester this Monday.

Suchith lived in Hebbal in Kempapura. He was celebrating his 21st birthday on Wednesday and probably wanted to spend time with his friends, said a professor. Both Rohit, who hailed from Chikballapur, and Harshvardhan, who hailed from Srinivaspur in Kolar, lived in the hostel.

Dr G S K Swamy, dean, College of Horticulture, explained that the hostel held a Ganesha idol immersion programme within the campus on Wednesday night, after which the students may have ventured out.

“According to our security guidelines, nobody is allowed to leave the campus after 10 pm. They reportedly informed the security guard that they wanted to drop someone at the airport and went out. We learnt of the incident around 3.15 am and rushed to the hospital,” he told DH.

The college held a public mourning on Thursday morning.

The police have filed a case under sections 106 (causing death by negligence) and 281 (rash driving) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and have launched an investigation to nab the absconding driver.