A 64-year-old man was killed and his wife was severely injured near the Kaniyur toll plaza on the Salem-Cochin highway after their two-wheeler was hit by a speeding police vehicle on Thursday.
Nataraj and his wife Devi (55) from Samalapuram, near Somanur in Tirupur district, were returning from Arasur on Thursday when the incident occurred.
According to reports, the police van was on its way to the prison after producing an accused in the Avinashi court. Footage from the CCTV camera near the toll plaza shows the police van hitting the two-wheeler with a tremendous amount of force.
In the shocking visuals, the police can be seen getting out of the vehicle after ramming the two-wheeler, but none of them take any steps to help the injured. The employees in the toll plaza rushed the couple to the Coimbatore government hospital. While Nataraj died on the way to the hospital, his wife is still in critical condition.
A police officer from Karumathampatty police station spoke to TNM and said, “The lady is still admitted in the hospital. Once she is discharged, we will get a statement from her and proceed with the required procedures to file a charge sheet. The policeman who was driving the vehicle has not been on duty since the incident.”
Speaking to TNM about the incident, the Superintendent of Police, Coimbatore, Pa Moorthy, said, “It was a constable who was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident. We have registered a case against him under Section 304A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code. Further action will be taken by the Tirupur district police since the vehicle and the driver both belong to the Tirupur police."