Man thrashed by autorickshaw driver recovers after timely surgery

A man who was grievously injured after being thrashed by an autorickshaw driver in northern Bengaluru is recovering after surgery, hospital officials said on Friday.

Ramesh (name changed) was on the way to Goraguntepalya from Majestic, where he works in a travel company, in an autorickshaw he hailed through the Ola app on Thursday morning.

Near the Mysore Sandal Soap Factory, the driver stopped and purportedly demanded money for fuel. “I had Rs 7,000 in cash,” the victim told the DH via a video message.

“When I took out the notes and tried to pay him, the driver snatched it away and began hitting me. He hit my forehead, pulled me out, took my mobile phone and my hearing aid, and pushed me. He pushed so hard that I fell down and felt sharp pain in my back,” Ramesh added.

Passersby who noticed Ramesh called an ambulance and moved him to the People Tree Hospitals in Goraguntepalya between 10.30 and 11 am.

Patient convalescing

Ramesh was in a “bad state” when brought to the hospital, doctors said. After getting his family’s consent and despatching a medico-legal case (MLC) report to the police, chief neurosurgeon Dr Murali Mohan S at the hospital operated on Ramesh.

“The procedure was successful,” Dr Jothi S Neeraja, MD and CEO of People Tree Hospitals, told DH. “His spine was injured and he was paralysed in the lower half of his body. He also had a head injury and fractured ribs. We screened him, undertook multiple scans, stabilised him, and moved him to the neuro ICU.”

Dr Mohan performed the complex spinal surgery. “The doctor informed me on Friday morning that the patient was perfectly all right, and he will recover soon,” Dr Neeraja said.

“If we had delayed it, there was no guarantee that he would have recovered from the paralysis. We know now that complete recovery is possible — he can move his fingers and legs, these are positive signs,” she said, adding that Ramesh would be continuously monitored once moved to the ward. 

Police close in on suspect

Subramanyanagar police began the probe after registering a case. They have identified the registration number of the autorickshaw. “We are following up on some leads,” an investigating official said. “We are verifying if the auto-rickshaw belongs to the suspect.”