Bengaluru: Couple dead in ambulance hit-and-run; angry crowd topples emergency vehicle

According to a complaint filed by an eyewitness, the Force Tempo Traveller ambulance was speeding from the Shanthinagar side towards Lalbagh when it struck a Suzuki Access scooter carrying rider Ismail Nathan Dabapu and his wife pillion rider Sameena Banu.

A couple was killed and two others were seriously injured in a devastating hit-and-run accident late Saturday night after an ambulance, allegedly driven at excessive speed and in a careless manner, collided with two scooters at the busy KH Junction in Wilson Garden, police said.

The driver of the ambulance fled the scene immediately following the multiple-vehicle crash, leaving the seriously injured victims behind. However, police traced and detained him on Sunday morning.

According to a complaint filed by an eyewitness, the Force Tempo Traveller ambulance was speeding from the Shanthinagar side towards Lalbagh when it struck a Suzuki Access scooter carrying rider Ismail Nathan Dabapu (40) and his wife pillion rider Sameena Banu (33).

The initial collision threw the two victims from their vehicle and caused the ambulance driver to lose control. The emergency vehicle then struck a second two-wheeler, a Honda Dio scooter ridden by Mohammad Ryan (29) with Mohammad Siddique (32) as the pillion. Both two-wheelers fell to the ground due to the force of the impact. The out-of-control ambulance finally came to a halt only after crashing into the traffic signal operator box on the pedestrian road. After the incident, an angry crowd pushed the ambulance and overturned it.

The couple suffered critical injuries. Dabapu was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to his injuries shortly thereafter. Banu, who had suffered severe head injuries, was pronounced dead in the early hours of Sunday.

Of the Honda Dio occupants, rider Ryan received treatment at a private hospital and was discharged, while Siddique remains hospitalised and is undergoing intensive care at a private medical facility.

The Wilson Garden Traffic Police have registered a case against the unidentified ambulance driver under multiple sections, including those relating to causing death by negligence, rash and negligent driving, and sections of the Motor Vehicles Act. A police report attributes the primary cause of the fatal accident to "speeding and carelessness on the part of the ambulance driver."

Police sources confirmed that the absconding driver had been detained.