BHUBANESWAR: A truck driver, who was on the run after ramming his vehicle into a stationary car on the NH-16 at Palasuni here on Monday, killing its driver on the spot, has been arrested on Wednesday.
The accused was identified as Saubhagya Ranjan Patra (29), a resident of Bhogada village in Khurda district. He was booked under Sections 279 (rash driving) and 304-A (causing death by negligence) of the IPC. The accident was very gruesome as the killer truck came at breakneck speed and rammed into two cars from behind when many vehicles, including the car, were stranded on the highway due to a traffic snarl. While one car was thrown off the road divider and landed on the parallel stretch, the other car was squeezed between the stationary truck in front of it and the truck.
Patra fled from the spot fearing public backlash. Police arrested him from a place near Master Canteen here.
Police have come to know that the truck’s documents were invalid, though the driver was carrying a valid DL. “The truck is owned by a construction company. The truck was carrying construction materials and it was overloaded as per our investigation. We have requested the regional transport office in Bhubaneswar to verify documents, including fitness of the truck,” a police officer said.
