Student dies as speeding car hits tree

A joy ride turned tragic for four engineering students, a pair of siblings among them, when their car hit a tree on Hesarghatta Main Road on Wednesday evening.

Ashish Varma (21), a student of Presidency College in Hebbal, was killed in the accident, while his friends Shakib Javed (21), his brother Akeeb Javed (19) and Vinay Nayak (21) were injured.

The police said Shakib, who drove the car, lost control when they reached the CPDO junction near Hesarghatta Main Road and the vehicle crashed into a roadside tree.

Shakib and Vinay, who sat in the front, were saved from serious injuries as they had their seatbelts on and the air bag opened at the impact.

Ashish was crushed to death in the rear seat, while the police, who rushed to the spot, shifted Akeeb to Sanjeevini Hospital, where he is said to be critical.

The Jalahalli traffic police have arrested Shakib for rash and negligent driving. Shakib stated to the police that the four of them went on a jolly ride from Peenya. At his friends' urging, he raised the speed to 100 kmph, lost control of the vehicle at some point and hit the tree.