Bhubaneswar, Dec. 6: A mini-truck driver drove the two-kilometre stretch from Mancheswar to Vani Vihar like a madman this afternoon and hit two cyclists, two motorcyclists and an SUV, leaving one person dead and three injured.
Cyclist Kishore Kumar Sahoo, 22, suffered grievous injuries after being hit by the rogue vehicle at VSS Nagar railway overbridge crossing, while cyclist Bijay Mallick and two motorcyclists escaped with minor injuries.
Sahoo was rushed to Capital Hospital, where he breathed his last this evening.
The rogue trucker was finally stopped near Satsang Vihar after he collided head-on with an SUV while driving on a wrong route on the National Highway-5 towards Vani Vihar Square.
Police suspect that Indramani Rout, 36, was driving the mini-truck in an inebriated state. He has been detained.
Eyewitnesses said that the mini-truck first hit Mallick's cycle at Mancheswar around 2.15pm and changed its direction towards the newly-constructed railway overbridge at VSS Nagar.
"As Rout was driving recklessly trying to escape from the spot after hitting Mallick, he again hit another cyclist - this time Sahoo - just at the approach of the flyover. He later hit a motorcyclist on the flyover," said an eyewitness.
Later, he hit another motorcycle at the end of the flyover injuring another person.
Rout ran out of luck when he started driving on the wrong side towards Vani Vihar instead of Rasulgarh.
"He drove the vehicle on wrong side on NH-5 and hit an SUV, damaging it badly. Luckily, the SUV driver escaped unhurt. Onlookers chased and nabbed the driver and later handed him over to the police," said another eyewitness.
"We have seized the mini-truck and detained Rout. We will conduct a medical examination to find out whether he was under the influence of alcohol," said deputy commissioner of police Satyabrata Bhoi.
Transport officials said that if Rout's licence would be suspended if it was proved that he was driving in an inebriated state.
"We have cancelled around 200 driving licenses in Bhubaneswar in the last three months for several offences, including drink driving," said a transport official.
