A 26-year-old woman was killed after being struck by an Aston Martin while crossing a road near Inorbit Mall in Hyderabad on August 16. Police have identified the driver as 21-year-old Lingamaneni Sanjush, the son of Andhra Pradesh Rajya Sabha MP and Jana Sena Party leader Lingamaneni Ramesh.
A video showing the aftermath of the crash surfaced several days later. It captures chaotic scenes at the spot, with a woman believed to be Bharati Mukhi’s colleague crying beside the injured victim and seeking help. Bystanders can also be seen confronting the driver and stopping him from leaving.
The footage shows the driver approaching Bharati before bystanders placed her in the same car and rushed her to Apollo Hospital in Jubilee Hills. Doctors declared her dead on arrival.
Bharati, reportedly a native of Odisha, worked as a sales executive at the Lifestyle store inside Inorbit Mall. According to the police complaint, she and her colleague Pooja Ashok had gone towards the ITC Kohenur area to collect lunch and were returning to the mall when the accident occurred.
As Bharati crossed the road outside the mall, the Aston Martin hit her, causing severe head injuries and heavy bleeding. Police said the car was being driven at high speed and in a rash and negligent manner.
She was taken to Apollo Hospital in the vehicle involved in the crash, but doctors declared her dead on arrival.
Following a complaint by Panjala Ashwin Kumar, manager of the Lifestyle store where Bharati worked, Madhapur Police registered a case under Section 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with causing death through a rash or negligent act. The Cyberabad Police have also seized the Aston Martin, bearing registration number TG-09-G-0666, as part of the investigation.
“It was a fatal accident. After the accident, the accused party took the victim to the hospital. The police received information from the hospital, following which the case was registered,” Balanagar Zone DCP Ritiraj said. He added that drug and drunk-driving tests conducted on the accused were negative.
The accused’s blood sample has been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for further testing. The DCP said that if the FSL report reveals anything that requires the sections of the case or the investigation to be altered, appropriate action will be taken.
WHY WAS THE ACCUSED NOT ARRESTED?
Explaining why Sanjush was not arrested, Ritiraj said the offence registered under Section 106(1) carries a punishment of less than five years. As a result, police were required to follow the safeguards established by the Supreme Court’s Arnesh Kumar judgment and Section 35(1).
“There was no possibility of arrest in accordance with the Arnesh Kumar judgment and the conditions under Section 35(1). Therefore, a notice was issued to him,” the DCP said.
According to Bharati’s aunt, the 26-year-old was the sole earning member of her family.
“My niece had gone for lunch during her lunch break when she was accidentally hit and killed by a speeding vehicle. She was the sole breadwinner of her family, and now there is no one left to support them financially. I request the government to provide assistance to her family,” she said.
