Two persons were killed after a speeding car rammed into a container truck near Pattazhimukku along the Kayamkulam-Punalur road late on Thursday.
The deceased have been identified as Anooja Ravindran, 37, of Nooranad, and Hashim, 32, of Charumoodu. The accident took place around 11:30 p.m. on Thursday
According to the police, Ms. Ravindran, a teacher at GHSS Tumpamon North, was returning home after a trip with fellow teachers to Thiruvananthapuram, when Hashim waylaid their vehicle near Enathu and forced her to get into his car. Although she had introduced him as her cousin, her colleagues grew suspicious of their behaviour and alerted the Adoor police as well as the woman’s relatives about the incident.
Even as the police launched a probe, the car, reportedly driven by Hashim, collided head-on with the container truck near Pattazhimukku. Eyewitness accounts suggested that the car had been speeding recklessly, leading to the accident.
The police are also trying to ascertain if the driver crashed the car into the truck to commit suicide.
Shankar, a panchayat member, told the police that he had noticed the car on the stretch at least a few times. “The woman was being assaulted inside the car that was zigzagging at a high speed. The woman passenger had opened the door at least three times in an apparent bid to escape,’ Mr. Shankar said
The police, meanwhile, are also investigating claims that the woman had confided her suicidal intentions to a colleague, who contacted her after she had gone with Hashim. According to the police, the collision was so severe that rescue teams had to cut open the car to retrieve the bodies. Both persons were pronounced dead at the accident scene. Fuel from both vehicles spilled onto the road, necessitating intervention by the Fire and Rescue Services department to clean the spillage.
The bodies have been shifted to Adoor General Hospital, and they will be released to their families following post-mortem examinations.
