Feb. 12: A 24-year-old motorbike rider died in a late-night hit-and-run on VIP Road, near Bangur Avenue, the second fatal accident on the airport artery in 24 hours.

Ankit Chaudhury, 24, a resident of Howrah, was spotted lying in a pool of blood on the airport-bound flank of the road by a patrol team from Lake Town police station around 3.30am. A Royal Enfield Classic 500 Desert Storm motorcycle lay a few metres away.

The police team took Ankit in their vehicle to RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. "The bike's rear was damaged much more than the front. We believe a four-wheeler hit the bike from behind. The rider was bleeding profusely from the head when our team found him," said an officer at the Bidhannagar commissionerate.

The police hadn't been able to identify the vehicle that hit Ankit's motorbike till late tonight. "There is no eyewitness yet. We are trying to get CCTV footage," the officer said.

Sources there the accident site is covered by a CCTV camera that isn't equipped to capture usable footage at night.

Early on Saturday, a motorist was killed when he crashed his Mahindra Xylo into a divider at the point where the Ultadanga-bound flank of VIP Road bifurcates towards the flyover leading to the Bypass. Samir Saha, 32, had apparently tried to swerve left at the last moment to get onto the flyover. There is no signage that motorists can spot from a distance.

Body found

The body of a 23-year-old man was found off the Ultadanga-bound flank of VIP Road, near the Kaikhali crossing, today morning. Police said Sheikh Salman, a resident of the area, had possibly been hit by a vehicle while trying to cross the road.