Mystery shrouds a car accident in which five people were killed near Ramanattukara in Kerala in the early hours of Monday with police detaining a few people who allegedly followed them in other vehicles.
Five men were killed on the spot after the car in which they were travelling collided head-on with a fully-loaded lorry on the Kozhikode-Palakkad highway.
The Bolero car that hit the cement-laden lorry at a sharp curve was completely damaged in the impact of the collision, Feroke police said. Police identified the deceased as Nazer, Subair, Muhammed Zahir, Asainar and Thahir, all hailing from Cherpulassery in Palakkad district. The deceased were said to be returning from Calicut International airport in nearby Karipur.
Launching an investigation, police have taken into custody a few people who allegedly followed the ill-fated Bolero car in other vehicles. After analysing the CCTV footage, police said one of the vehicles has also been seized. The investigation is on to trace one more vehicle.
Police suspect that the detained people had a connection with those who were killed in the accident. The detainees are being questioned by a joint police team probing the case at Feroke police station, police said. According to police, there were around 15 people in three vehicles, including those who met with the accident.
Police are investigating the purpose of their travel from Cherpulassery to Calicut Airport in three vehicles at night during the time of the weekend lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Police said the investigation team is probing whether they had any link with the gold smuggling mafia.
Published 21 June 2021, 18:02 IST