Bus Involved in Fatal Hit-and-Run Accident at Jappinamogaru: Seized by Police
Mangaluru: Mangaluru South Traffic Police have seized a private bus named Sri Kateel that allegedly struck a pedestrian near Jappinamogaru and fled without stopping. Preliminary investigations have identified the suspected driver, and further inquiries are underway.
Based on CCTV footage and information provided by passengers, police have preliminarily identified Sudheer K. (40), a resident of Kasaragod, Kerala, as the person driving the bus at the time of the accident. Police said verification also confirmed that his driving licence was valid.
The accident occurred at around 7:50 p.m. on October 22 in front of A.K. Lodge at Jappinamogaru. The bus allegedly hit an unidentified man, estimated to be between 30 and 35 years old, who was walking along the unpaved roadside on the left side of National Highway 66 towards Mahakali Padpu. The bus reportedly continued without stopping at the scene.
The impact threw the pedestrian onto the roadside, leaving him with a severe bleeding head injury. Members of the public rushed him to Wenlock Hospital in Mangaluru, where doctors examined him and confirmed that he had died.
A case has been registered at Mangaluru South Traffic Police Station under Crime No. 285/2026, invoking Sections 281 and 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 134(a) and 134(b) of the Motor Vehicles Act.
During the investigation, police examined CCTV footage and identified the vehicle allegedly involved as the Sri Kateel bus bearing registration number KA-19-AA-8499, which operates on Route No. 42. The bus has since been seized.
Police said they would collect further evidence, including mobile phone location data of the driver and witnesses who were travelling on the bus, and continue the investigation from all angles.