Bengaluru: Drunk man rams car into eatery, kills retired armyman

BENGALURU: A 59-year-old retired armyman, working as a security supervisor, was killed after a drunk driver allegedly ploughed his car into a mobile eatery stall on Kodigehalli main road around 11.45pm Monday.
While Ravi Shankar Rao, a resident of Tindlu (Vidyaranyapura) and employed with a private firm, died, four persons, including the driver Nitin Poovaiah, sustained injuries.
Rao is survived by his wife, a son and daughter. His son JR Vinod Rao filed a complaint with Hebbal traffic police, accusing the driver of causing the accident under the influence of alcohol.
Vinod Rao said his father worked as a security guard in Mysuru and then shifted to Bengaluru in early 2000 to ensure better education for his children. Rao's colleagues said he was known for discipline and punctuality. "He was in the Army for five years and then worked as a security guard. He'd also train new employees," they said.
Police said Poovaiah, 29, of Dasarahalli main road, was driving home after partying with friends. A medical test found that Poovaiah, who works with a real estate firm, had 235mg alcohol in 100ml of blood. The permissible limit is 40mg per 100 ml.
Police booked Poovaiah under IPC Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder). Police said his blood samples have been sent to Forensic Science Laboratory for a report on alcohol level which will be enclosed with the chargesheet.
Spot investigation by Hebbal traffic police showed that Poovaiah's white Santro (in pic) veered to the road's extreme right before ramming the mobile eatery shop where Ravi Shankar Rao and two colleagues were standing and eating food. Rao's colleagues Manjunath SB and B Naveen Kumar sustained fractures. The eatery's cook Manjunath too suffered injuries.
"Nitin's car rammed the stall which was on the right pavement. The car first hit the eatery before hitting the men. If not, the casualties could have been more," an investigating police officer said. All the injured were shifted to a nearby private hospital where doctors declared Rao brought dead.
Nitin was driving back home alone after dropping his friend in Sahakarnagar. He had earlier partied with three friends in a bar, sources said.
"We'll arrest Poovaiah after he gets discharged and produce him in court since station bail cannot be granted after an arrest under Section 304," an investigating officer said.