Drunk Law Student Held After Fatal SUV-Motorcycle Crash in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: A 34-year-old man lost his life after a luxury SUV, allegedly driven by an intoxicated law student, crashed head-on into his motorcycle near Shastri Nagar Square in Bhubaneswar on Monday night. The accused was arrested on Tuesday.

The deceased has been identified as Debi Prasad Routray, while the accused, Soumya Ranjan Rath, has been booked for rash and negligent driving as well as driving under the influence of alcohol.

According to police, the accident occurred at around 10.30 pm when the SUV, reportedly travelling at high speed, collided with Routray’s motorcycle. The impact was so severe that the two-wheeler was badly mangled, leaving the rider with critical injuries.

Hearing the crash, local residents rushed to the spot and shifted Routray to Capital Hospital. However, doctors declared him dead on arrival.

Zone-I ACP Ramesh Chandra Bisoi said preliminary investigation revealed that Rath was allegedly driving the SUV in an inebriated state at the time of the accident.

Police said the accused allegedly attempted to escape from the scene after the collision. However, alert locals intercepted the SUV and detained Rath along with a woman who was travelling with him before informing the police.

A team from Kharavel Nagar Police Station reached the spot, rescued the duo from an agitated crowd and took them into custody.

Senior police officials later visited the accident site, interacted with the protesters and assured them that strict legal action would be taken against the accused.

Both the SUV and the damaged motorcycle have been seized as part of the investigation. Police said further inquiry is underway to determine the exact sequence of events leading to the fatal crash.