Madhapur-road accident: Sujith, Ashish tried to change Audi number plate to mislead police

Hyderabad: Investigation into the Madhapur-road accident has revealed that two accused, Sujith and Ashish, tried to change the number plate of the Audi car in order to mislead the police. Cops also found that the duo also tried to threaten eyewitnesses.

The CCTV footage captured at various junctions showed Sujith and Ashish attempting to remove or change the car number plate. Earlier, the accused Raghunandhan Reddy attempted to make his long-time driver a scapegoat by forcing him to confess to the crime. This was aimed to save his son Sujith Reddy Vakiti.

Police have already arrested Srujana High School, Uppal, founder Raghunandhan Reddy, his son Sujith Reddy, studying Msc at National Institute of Construction Management and Research-Goa , and HCL software employee Ashish in the Madhapur accident case that left Prism Pub employee Umesh Kumar dead.

Madhapur Police have released a video of a road accident. The incident occurred on June 27 when a speedy Audi rammed into Uber auto at the signal near IKEA circle. Such was the impact that Uber auto flung into the air. Umesh Kumar, an employee with Prism Pub, Gachibowli, had booked auto to go home at Begumpet. He was returning from work when the auto was hit by a speedy Audi.

Madhapur law and order police said Audi's car tyre had flattened soon after it hit the Uber auto at 5.29 AM on June 27. Speaking to NewsMeter, Madhapur Police Inspector P Ravinder Prasad said: "Few kilometers away, tyre of the car got burst which forced Sujith and Ashish to halt for a brief period. The two tried to cover the car number plate. They tried to intimidate those present at the spot. All three have been arrested and sent to Sanga Reddy jail".

On drunken driving, he said: "Teams usually conducted checks until 1 AM. Now, it will be extended till 4 AM on weekends. The number of cops per team will be increased." Cyberabad Traffic DCP Vijay Kumar said the department will be writing to HCL where accused Ashish is currently employed. "There are stringent laws to deal with the people involved in drunken driving cases. Aggressive checking will be conducted at IT corridor, Madhapur, Gachibowli, Narsingi, Miyapur, and Kukatpally," he said.

Raghunandhan Reddy tried to make his driver a scapegoat:

Investigation revealed that Sujith Reddy and his friend Ashish had attended a private party at the former's guest house near Ramky towers. During the wee hours, the duo left the guest house for home. Heavily drunk, Sujith was driving the vehicle when he hit the Auto. The videos confirmed that the Sujith was driving at a very high speed.

"Raghunandhan Reddy influenced his 55-year-old driver (employee with them for 20 years) to accept the crime. He promised a hefty compensation and assured him bail. However, Prabhakar failed during interrogation. Also, the CCTV footage at the scene of offence and wine shop shows Sujith and Ashish in the car," Madhapur Inspector Ravinder Prasad told NewsMeter.

Raghunandhan Reddy was booked under section 203, 205, 212 and 419 of the Indian Penal code for harboring his son and misleading the cops. Sujith and Ashish were booked under 304 (2), 201, and 506 of IPC. All three have been arrested, the CI said.

Inspector said beer bottles were retrieved from the Audi car and there is enough evidence to prove both were drunk. "Since they were arrested more than 12 hours after the crime, the blood alcohol levels did not give conclusive results. The father wanted to hide his son's crime. However, Sujith Reddy was arrested from D. V Colony, where he was reportedly hiding, while his friend Ashish was arrested from his home," he said.

The auto driver miraculously escaped with minor injuries, while Umesh Kumar however was not lucky and succumbed to his injuries.