Youth’s death at Vellayil: licences of drivers involved in reel shooting suspended

The accident had claimed the life of a 20-year-old Vadakara native who was shooting a promotional reel

The Motor Vehicles department (MVD) has suspended driving licences of K. Sabith Rahman and Mohammed Rabees, the two drivers recently taken into custody following the accident that resulted in the death of a youth while shooting a promotional reel on Kozhikode Beach Road on December 10.

The licence of Manjeri native Sabith, whose vehicle reportedly knocked down the youth, was suspended for a year. He had been arrested in connection with the incident. The licence of Mohammed was suspended for six months for dangerous driving.

MVD sources said the explanations provided by the two drivers on Thursday (December 12) regarding the accident that claimed the life of T.K. Alvin, 20, from Vadakara were unsatisfactory. They added that a special team was investigating the incident, and further legal actions, including the potential cancellation of the registration certificates of the two vehicles involved, would be taken once the final investigation report was received.

Both the drivers were in police custody for detailed interrogation following the tragic accident at Vellayil around 7.30 a.m. on December 10. According to the police, the accident occurred while Alvin was filming a car chase for a promotional reel on his mobile phone along the median of the beach road. The accident was caused by a reckless overtaking attempt by Sabith. The 20-year-old who suffered severe injuries after being struck by the SUV was declared dead at a private hospital by noon.

The police said Sabith had also attempted to mislead the investigation team by providing false information about the vehicle that caused the fatal accident. Initially, he claimed that the youth was knocked down by a Land Rover Defender, brought to the spot by Mohammed for the promotional reel shooting. However, this claim was found to be false after reviewing CCTV footage from the scene.

A detailed investigation revealed that the accident was reportedly caused by a G-Class Mercedes Benz driven by Sabith Rahman, which had no valid insurance. To conceal this, the suspect allegedly provided details of the other SUV used for shooting at the site. He has been booked under Sections 281 (rash driving or riding on a public way) and 106 (causing death by negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Published - December 12, 2024 09:40 pm IST