Drink whiff in car-auto hit
A motorist who had been allegedly drinking at the wheel rammed his Indigo Manza into an autorickshaw on the EM Bypass near SRFTI on Wednesday morning, injuring a young passenger and the driver.
Samriddha Chowdhury, 28, was arrested after police found him “reeking of alcohol and not in a condition to speak”. He had allegedly kept a bottle of whisky and a plastic glass between his legs while driving the car, which is registered as a commercial vehicle.
“The car hit the auto at such speed that the three-wheeler ended up on the median between the main road and the service lane in front of SRFTI. A 19-year-old passenger and the driver received injuries. The other passengers had a lucky escape,” said an officer at Survey Park police station.
Samriddha has been booked under sections 279 and 337 of the Indian Penal Code for “rash and negligent driving” and “causing hurt by act endangering life and personal safety of others”. He has also been charged with drink driving under Section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
His driving licence has been seized and recommended for suspension, the police said.
Tollywood actor Vikram Chatterjee had also been charged with drink driving based on the statements of witnesses in the Sonika Chauhan case. Sonika, a model, died in a car crash with Vikram at the wheel on April 29 last year.
The Manza and the auto involved in the accident on the Bypass were both moving towards Baghajatin from the Ruby crossing when the car suddenly veered right and dashed the three-wheeler. Driver Naren Moni, 61, and passenger Suman Bairagi, 19, were treated for minor injuries in a nearby hospital. Neither needed hospitalisation.
The accused told investigators at the police station later that he runs a transport business and uses the white Indigo Manza as a “luxury taxi”. He claimed to be “taking a joyride” through the Bypass when the accident occurred.
The police found out that the 28-year-old was in a car registered in his mother’s name. The auto he hit is part of the fleet plying on the Baghajatin-Ruby route.