‘Sleep-deprived’ lorry driver kills woman in auto

A 24-year-old woman was killed early on Saturday when a lorry loaded with iron rods crashed into the auto-rickshaw she was traveling in. Cubbon Park traffic police sources told DH that the driver, identified as 24-year-old Abhi from Sakleshpur, was reportedly sleep-deprived and ran a red light at high speed at Police Thimmaiah Junction near Coffee Board, colliding with the auto.

The deceased, identified as Shalini, was en route from Chinnappa Garden to Majestic around 4 am when the accident occurred, causing the auto-rickshaw to topple onto its side. The auto-rickshaw driver, 40-year-old Imran, miraculously escaped uninjured, but Shalini sustained severe head injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to police, Shalini, originally from Kollam in Kerala, worked at a call centre in Upparpete, near Majestic. As of Saturday evening, her family was travelling to Bengaluru to claim her body.