Congress neta's son booked in Karnataka hit-and-run case

UDUPI: A 26-year-old civil contractor, son of a Congress leader from Udupi, has been booked in a hit-and-run case after he fatally rammed a two-wheeler rider with his SUV in Udupi district last week.

According to police, the arrested is Prajwal Shetty , son of Belapu gram panchayat president and Kambala organiser Deviprasad Shetty Belapu. The deceased has been identified as Mohammed Hussain , 39.

He was taken into custody and his vehicle - a Thar - seized on Thursday evening. He was later released.

In a complaint, Hussain's parent Ummarabba, 65, said the accident occurred when Hussain was riding his motorcycle from Belapu towards Punchalakadu around 5am on November 13.

When the rider reached Maria Bakery, a vehicle from the opposite direction - allegedly driven recklessly and negligently on the extreme right side of the road - collided with Hussain's motorcycle.

In the impact of the collision, Hussain fell to the ground along with his bike, and he suffered severe injuries on his legs, hands and head. He was taken to district hospital in Udupi's Ajjarkad and later shifted to a private hospital in Manipal where he died around 7.30pm on November 14.

Police said the SUV driver sped away from the spot of accident without providing assistance to the injured Hussain. A case has been registered at the Shirva police station.

Police said they will fast-track investigations into the case and file a chargesheet at the earliest.