Actress Sharmiela Mandre and her male friend Lokesh Vasanth have sustained serious injuries in an accident happened in the wee hours on Saturday. Mandre is said to have sustained injuries on her face and hand, while her friend Lokesh has a fracture on his hand, according to High Grounds Traffic police.
Preliminary investigating the traffic police said they got information from a police control room around 3 am about the accident in the underbridge of Vasanth Nagar in Central Business District (CBD). When High Grounds traffic police rushed to the spot, a man appeared before them and falsely claimed that he was driving the car. When the police asked him for his name and driving license, he refused to share his details and told that his friends were in the car. Police asked to reveal their names, he again refused to share his friend's details and argued with the police to leave them without registering any case. Police explained to him that it is a serious offence as the railway underbridge pillar was damaged and people inside the car were injured and they cannot let them go without a case. When police told him they will detain him for giving a false statement, he left the spot.
After some time police got a memo from Fortis hospital on Cunningham Road stating two persons identified as Sharmiela Mandre, 33, and Lokesh Vasanth, 35, have been admitted in the hospital. But they have given a statement saying they met with an accident in JP Nagar in South Bengaluru.
We then rushed to the hospital to find the duo undergoing treatment. We are waiting for doctors permission to record a statement from the duo and investigate the case further, said an investigating officer.
"We don't know how the car hit the pillars in underbridge if the accident has taken place in JP Nagar. According to doctors, it is suspected that the duo was under the influence but a report yet to come," the investing police said.
Police are suspecting the duo have given a false statement to divert and misguide their investigation.
However, the duo didn't have any pass to come outside during COVID-91 lockdown. They are suspected to be on a jolly drive without any pass, violating the lockdown prohibitory order.
A case has been registered in High Grounds Traffic police station. The Jaguar car bearing registration number KA-51-MJ-2481 has been seized. Further investigation is on.
Mandre and Lokesh have been discharged from Fortis hospital. They told doctors they will take further treatment from their family doctors and left the hospital. Police are now searching for them.
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