Hyderabad horror: 9 years after deadly crash, victim's kin say accused has fled abroad

Time of India

07-07-2025

HYDERABAD: Nine years after a ghastly road accident led to the death of three people across three generations, including nine-year-old Ramya, family members of the girl have written to senior police officials raising concerns over the absence of an accused from court proceedings.
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In his email, also marked to the Hyderabad police commissioner, Ramya's father Venkata Ramana wrote: "We are deeply alarmed by the fact that Vineeth, who played a pivotal role in enabling the accident, is absconding, and as per our information, has travelled abroad. The court records show a non-bailable warrant (NBW) is pending against Vineeth."
Accident that shook Hyd
The accident took place at Nagarjuna Circle on July 1, 2016 when a car driven by two youngsters, allegedly after drinking at a pub in Banjara Hills, hit the median, flipped and fell on the hatchback being driven by Ramya's uncle, P Rajesh.
Ramya, Rajesh and her grandfather Madhusudhana Chary died in the accident. The family was returning to their home in Borabanda after picking Ramya up from her school in Secunderabad.
The accident sent shockwaves across the city.Three people - R Shravil, Kancha Vishnu Vineeth and Subhajit Bhattacharya - were named accused by Banjara Hills police in the case. Shravil was accused of driving the car that belonged to Vineeth, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, with the latter seated inside.
Subhajit, the representative of Thank God Its Friday (TGIF), a pub in Banjara Hills where the two allegedly consumed liquor, was accused of serving alcohol to under-aged Shravil who was 20 years old at that time.
One accused discharged
Banjara Hills police charged Shravil and Vineeth under Sections 304 II (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 326 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the IPC in the chargesheet filed in Nov 2016.
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But in 2022, Vineeth approached the Nampally court and obtained relief. It discharged him from the charges of 304 II and 326 of the IPC.
"The learned prosecution did not give any reply regarding the rulings replied upon by the counsel of the petitioner (Vineeth). Admittedly, there is no material on record to show that the petitioner has intentionally aided or abetted the commission of offence in the above case voluntarily.
Therefore, in these circumstances, it is held that the petitioner has made out proper case forming the grounds for discharging him from the charges of offences under Sections 304 II, 326 of IPC and his entitled to be discharged from the offences," the additional metropolitan sessions judge said in the order.
The only charge standing against Vineeth was violating the Motor Vehicle (MV) Act.
A few months ago, the judge directed him to appear before the court. But he did not attend the court proceeding. In April 2025, the court issued a NBW against him. In the same month, during one of the hearings, Banjara Hills police returned the NBW as his whereabouts were allegedly not known. The matter is coming up for hearing again on July 8.