The case of the killer SUV, where a woman driver crushed to death a daily wage labourer and injured four others sleeping on a pavement in March this year, has taken an interesting turn.
Though the police are yet to arrest the alleged killer driver Mahi alias Manjula (25), it is said that SUV owner Raghu Patel, a petrol bunk proprietor, donated Rs 6 lakh to the family of 22-year-old Nagaraj, who was the father of a three-day old baby when he died.
Police officials told Deccan Chronicle that Mr Patel has deposited the money in the name of Nagaraj’s son on humanitarian grounds. The money can be taken by the boy when he attains 21 years of age. The boy's mother is allowed to get a monthly interest of Rs 5,000 on the deposited money, but cannot withdraw the principal amount. The money was deposited on Friday.
When the police are still groping in the dark about Ms Mahi’s whereabouts, doubts arise over the intention behind the “humane gesture” and also whether the money is to lure the victim’s family into withdrawing the case against the accused.
But the police officer said the case would not be dropped and the investigation would continue.
On the night of March 11, Ms Mahi, who was allegedly driving a Toyota Fortuner with the registration number KA-03-MQ-1369, had rammed into the pavement on 3rd ‘A’ Main in HRBR Layout near Kalyan Nagar killing Nagaraj, a native of Raichur.
Four other labourers, Shivayogi Ramappa (19), L. Gowda (22), Rangappa (24) and Hanumantha (20), were injured. Nagaraj was to leave for his hometown to see his newborn baby.