The Cyberabad police on Tuesday arrested three persons, including the owner and manager of a pub, in connection with a drunk driving accident that killed a 23-year-old girl student who was celebrating Friendship Day with her friends.
Daduvai Aashritha, who was doing her MTech in Canada and had come to India on holiday, was killed and her friend Taruni was injured in the accident that occurred at Kondapur at around midnight on August 1, when they were celebrating Friendship Day.
They, along with two other friends, were returning home in a Skoda car from a pub when the car being driven by Abhishek Devarapalli in a drunken state and reckless manner crashed into some boulders on the roadside and overturned.
Aashritha was killed in the accident while Taruni was injured. Abhishek, 21, and another friend, Sai Prakash, escaped with minor injuries as their air balloons had opened.
Cyberabad Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar said Abhishek has been arrested and sent to jail for culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The second accused and co-passenger of the car, Sai Prakash, is absconding.
The manager of Snort Pub, Pranesh Herli, and its owner, Chaganla Suryanath, were also arrested and sent to jail for abetment to culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
The police said Abhishek drove the vehicle under the influence of alcohol and at high speed in a reckless manner, knowing clearly that it was highly dangerous and could cause serious accidents.
Both Abhishek and Sai Prakash had consumed alcohol together and then drove the car, which amounts to abetment to culpable homicide not amounting to murder, the police said.
The pub manager and the owner were booked and arrested as they had kept the bar open despite dry day notification issued by the police chief. In view of the Bonalu festival, the police had ordered closure of all bars and pubs on August 1 and 2.
Despite the orders, the manager and the owner of Snort Pub kept their pub open and allowed the accused to drink alcohol and drive the car to cause death, thereby they also abetted the offence. This amounts to abetment to culpable homicide not amounting to murder, the police said.
Drunken driving has been the major cause of road accidents and fatalities in Cyberabad. Sajjanar said the police have been taking stringent legal action against the violators.
If more than one person consume alcohol together and then one of them drives under the influence of alcohol, then all those travelling together will be prosecuted for abetment of the crime as per the facts of every case, the Commissioner said.
The Cyberabad Traffic Police have appealed to the public to introspect on these and start behaving responsibly while driving any vehicle on public roads in view of road safety.
The police urged the citizens not to encourage drunk driving at all for any reason whatsoever.
