The driver of the double-decker sleeper bus involved in the devastating accident that claimed 19 lives in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool district has been arrested, police said on Sunday.
The accused, identified as Miriyala Lakshmaiah, was found to have secured his heavy vehicle driving licence using forged educational certificates. Investigators revealed that Lakshmaiah had studied only up to Class 5 but obtained a transport vehicle licence by submitting fake Class 10 documents.
Under current licensing regulations, drivers applying for commercial or heavy vehicle licences must have studied at least up to Class 8. However, such rules are often flouted through the use of counterfeit documents, a loophole that has repeatedly raised safety concerns.
The tragic accident occurred in the early hours of October 24 at Chinna Tekuru village in Kurnool district, when a sleeper bus ran over a two-wheeler that had already met with an accident. The impact dragged the motorbike underneath the vehicle, causing its fuel tank to burst and ignite a massive fire that engulfed the bus.
At least 19 passengers were killed, and several others were injured. Of the 44 people on board, many managed to escape before the flames spread.
On Sunday, the Andhra Pradesh Police confirmed that the two men on the motorcycle, Siva Shankar and Erri Swamy, were under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash.
“We have received forensic confirmation that the two bike-borne persons were drunk,” said Kurnool Range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Koya Praveen, speaking to PTI.
According to the police, Shankar and Swamy had dined at a dhaba earlier that night, where Swamy admitted to consuming liquor. The duo set out on their two-wheeler from Lakshmipuram village around 2 a.m. on October 24, with plans to drop Swamy at Tuggali village.
CCTV footage from an HP petrol station near the Kia car showroom showed the men stopping to refuel at 2:24 a.m. In the video, Shankar could be seen riding rashly, moments before tragedy struck.
Soon after leaving the petrol station, the two-wheeler skidded, causing Shankar to fall and hit a divider. He died on the spot, while the out-of-control bike came under the path of the approaching bus, triggering one of the deadliest road accidents in recent years.