Lingamaneni Sanjush (21), the son of Andhra Pradesh Rajya Sabha MP Lingamaneni Ramesh, was served notice by the Cyberabad police after being named as the accused in a road accident that killed a 26-year-old woman in Hyderabad’s Madhapur on August 16.
Sanjush was allegedly driving an Aston Martin at a high speed when the car hit Bharati Mukhi, a sales associate at a Lifestyle store in the Inorbit Mall in Madhapur, Hyderabad. Bharati was crossing the road while bringing lunch from a place nearby and returning to work, according to the complaint filed by the store manager Aswin Kumar.
Madhapur ACP Ch Sridhar said Sanjush was not arrested because the offence registered against him is bailable and carries a maximum punishment of less than seven years. Police only served him a notice, he said. Sanjush was booked under Section 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita – causing death of any person by doing any rash or negligent act not amounting to culpable homicide – which carries a maximum punishment of five years’ imprisonment and a fine.
“As the punishment is below seven years, it is bailable. We have served notices to the accused. He has not been arrested,” Sridhar said.
According to the FIR, Bharati and her colleague Pooja Ashok, both aged 26, had gone to the vicinity of ITC Kohenur at around 3 pm to collect lunch. While returning to Inorbit Mall, Bharati was crossing the road in front of the mall when the Aston Martin, bearing registration number TG-09-G-0666, allegedly hit her.
Bharati suffered severe bleeding injuries to her head and was taken to Apollo Hospital in Jubilee Hills in the same car. Doctors examined her and declared her dead.
Pooja later informed Lifestyle store manager Panjala Ashwin Kumar about the accident. Ashwin reached the hospital and subsequently approached the police, based on whose complaint the case was registered.
Police later identified Sanjush as the person allegedly driving the vehicle at the time of the accident.
The Aston Martin has been seized, while police reportedly conducted drunk-driving tests on Sanjush. His blood samples were also collected and sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory for analysis.
Police are awaiting the post-mortem examination report and said they are collecting further evidence as part of the investigation.
Records show that the Aston Martin is registered in the name of Honor Prime Housing LLP. The circumstances in which Sanjush was driving the vehicle at the time of the crash are also being examined.
Sanjush is the son of Lingamaneni Ramesh, a Rajya Sabha MP from the Jana Sena Party, led by Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan. Ramesh is a prominent businessman from Vijayawada, with businesses in real estate, infrastructure, and other sectors.