JOIN USIt has been three days since the accidental death of a Nigerian near Byrathi cross but the Kempegowda International Airport traffic police investigating the case are yet to trace the African national who was riding with Ifeyani Madu.
Madu died under mysterious circumstances even as the police claimed that the Nigerian died after falling from a bike when they were on a drug bust on Sunday night. Members of the African community in the city. however, termed Madu’s death “a cold-blooded murder.”
"We have traced the owner of the red Honda Dio bike bearing registration number (KA 05-HD-8730) that we seized from the accident spot and found that it belonged to Mujahid, a resident of Shivajinagar. Mujahid in turn sold it to Lead Motors, a used-bike dealer in Kammanahalli from whom a foreign national named Omiri bought the vehicle.
“We could not trace Omiri as he had given an address near CMR college in HRBR Layout, where a group of students from African countries were staying. However, they told the police that there was no one named Omiri among them,” said a senior police officer.
“Only after tracing the person, who fled the spot, will we be able to know who was riding the bike and who was riding pillion so that they could frame appropriate charges. We are also analysing CCTV footage from surrounding areas to establish the identity of the rider,” another officer said.
The police have booked an unknown person under IPC sections 304-A (accidental death caused by rash and negligent driving) and 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way).
A Central Crime Branch (CCB) police inspector, who is the complainant in this case, was unsure about who was riding the bike as it was dark.
“He was also not sure if the man who fled the spot was actually an African or an Indian. The only thing he noted was that the man who escaped was wearing a white shirt," the officer said.
Help sought
“The city police have written to almost all the embassies of African countries requesting them to inform their nationals residing here in the city to come forward and identify the victim and share any other details for official records. Though the community has identified the man to be Ifeyani Madu alias Nwa Jesus from Nigeria, we do not have any documents to corroborate or establish it,” said a senior police officer.