Police in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram district reported that a speeding SUV driven by a person who was allegedly under the influence of alcohol struck a man and his five-year-old son’s motorbike close to Kilimanoor area.
The man’s older son, who was riding pillion, also sustained serious injuries in the accident on Saturday night and was taken to a nearby hospital where he is still in a critical condition, according to a police officer from Nagaroor.
The two people who were in the SUV were detained on Saturday itself, and according to the police, a preliminary investigation revealed that they had consumed alcohol. The results of their blood alcohol tests are pending, it added.
According to police, the man and his two sons were returning from a trip to a nearby market to buy groceries when the tragic incident happened.
His younger son, who was sitting in front, was thrown off into a nearby open stormwater drain when they were struck by an SUV coming from the opposite side at a curve in the road on their way back.
Locals told a TV station that only the man and his older son were on the road when police arrived at the scene; they were rushed to a nearby hospital.
The younger son’s headless body was later discovered in the drain during a later inspection of the area, and the head was later found further downstream, they claimed.
The accused would then be brought before a court, according to the police, after the inquest proceedings were completed. They have been charged with violating Indian Penal Code Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and a minimum of 10 years in prison, and Section 34 (common intention).
