Waiter killed as drunk youth crashes Audi into motorbike

A 25-year-old waiter became the tragic victim of an accident, that occurred during the early hours of Thursday, when he was mowed down by two motorists, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, who drove a luxury car on the wrong side of the road. 

Kevin Raj, a resident of Royapuram was returning from work early morning, when he was struck by a speeding car, coming from the wrong side on the one-way lane, near TVS bus stop on Anna Salai. 

Police said that at about 3.40 am, an Audi Q7, bearing the registration number TN-28 AR 8400, violated the one-way rule by turning right from Spencer Junction towards Teynampet and smashed into Kevin’s bike head on, killing the biker on the spot. Kevin worked as a waiter at a hotel in Guindy and was returning home. Officials said the Audi was travelling at a speed of about 120 km/hour when it hit the bike. Upon impact, Kevin was thrown out of his bike, a few hundred meters backwards into a Metro Rail barricade. He died on the spot. 

The driver of a tempo traveller, who was tailing the bike escaped with minor injuries. Police sources said both the owner-cum-driver and his friend were inebriated when the accident took place. Police arrested both occupants of the car – Mohammed Shafi (31) and Mohammed Farook (39) under 304 (II) (Culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and on charges of drunken and rash driving. The occupants were trapped inside the car when the airbags were deployed following the crash. The Anna Salai traffic investigation team that rushed to the spot following the accident, retrieved the body of the youth and the injured van driver and also rescued the two trapped inside the car. 

Mohammed Shafi, the owner of the vehicle was at the wheel when the accident took place. Police said both were leather businessmen based in Erode and had come to attend the Leather Fair held in Chennai. Both of them attended a party after the fair at a star hotel on Mount Road from where they were returning. Police took both occupants for a medical check and confirmed they were drunk during the time of the accident.