2 killed as lorry runs amok

Police fired in the air to disperse a mob which tried to torch a lorry that ran amok, killing two persons and injuring nine people near Attibele Cross in Anekal taluk on Wednesday afternoon.

The drunk driver of the Tamil Nadu-registered container lorry went berserk for more than three kilometers and rammed into the road divider, a compound wall, some passersby and a few vehicles. Around 10 bikes, three cars and a Tempo Traveller were damaged before the lorry toppled into the Bidruguppe lake area.

The driver was seen sniffing whitener. People tried to stop the lorry, but the driver was out of his senses. The lorry was on its way to Sarjapur from Ballur Dasanapura.

Passersby and nearby villagers rushed the injured to a hospital, but Papa Reddy and Janardhan, both aged 45 and residents of Attibele, were declared brought dead. The victims were travelling on their bikes when the lorry rammed them.

The public who had gathered at the spot caught hold of the driver and thrashed him and he lost consciousness. The police rushed to the spot and saved the severely injured driver, before the people beat him to death. The police rushed him to Nimhans in Bangalore. The details of the driver are yet to be obtained as he has not regained consciousness, said a police official.

Meanwhile, the police dispersed the mob by firing two rounds in the air. Hundreds of people gathered at the spot and were about to set the lorry on fire to vent their anger.

According to police sources, the lorry was on hire to TVS company near Hosur in Tamil Nadu to transport its two-wheelers. After enquiring a few people at the nearby TVS company, it was found that the driver had quarrelled with the lorry owner over money. So, he had consumed alcohol in the morning.

It all started at a checkpost near Ballur Dasanapura when another vehicle brushed the container lorry. The driver then began a high-speed chase and while on TVS Road, he rammed into a bike. Fearing consequences, the driver went on a rampage, sources said.

A case has been registered at the Attibele police station and investigation will be conducted once the driver is back to his senses. The owner will be questioned too, the police said.