Kondapur drunk driving accident: Manager, owner of Snort pub among 3 arrested

Abhishek Devarapalli (21), who was driving the car, was arrested for culpable homicide not amounting to murder while Pranesh Herli (43), the manager of the pub, and pub owner Chaganla Suryanath (33) were arrested for abetment. Sai Prakash who was in the car at the time of the accident is absconding.

On 1 August, Ashritha, who was pursuing Masters in Canada, went to Snort pub with some friends, including Abhishek, to celebrate Friendship Day. They were returning home when the accident took place near My Home Mangala Apartments in Kondapur. Their car hit boulders on the roadside and overturned.

Aashritha and her friend Tharuni were severely injured and were taken shifted to KIMS Hospital in Kondapur where the doctor declared Ashritha dead.

A case was registered under various sections of the IPC and Motor Vehicles Act at the Gachibowli police station. The police said that Abhishek drove the car under the influence of alcohol and at a high speed and in a reckless manner while knowing clearly that it was highly dangerous and can cause serious accidents. The co-passenger of the car, Sai Prakash, let Abhishek drive while drunk and thereby abetted in drunk driving.

Also, the commissioner of Cyberabad had declared 1 and 2 August as 'dry day' but the manager of Snort Pub, Pranesh Herli, and the owner, Chaganla Suryanath, had opened the pub and served drinks. They had also abetted in the offence, the police said. On Tuesday, Abhishek, Subramanyam Herli, and Chaganla Suryanath were arrested and remanded to judicial custody for 14 days.

Drunken driving has been the major cause of road accidents and fatalities on roads in Cyberabad. The Cyberabad police have been taking stringent action against violators. They said that persons who consume alcohol together and allow one of them to drive under the influence of alcohol and travel together will also be prosecuted for the abetment of the crime.