Ambulance topples over man fleeing Bengaluru after shutdown

BENGALURU: A speeding ambulance hit five bikes before toppling on the motorcycle of a security official, killing him at Gangapura Gate, near Hoskote, on NH-75 in the early hours of Saturday.
The official, Ramesh Kumar Reddy, 37, a resident of Thanisandra and from Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh, and his wife, Nandini Reddy, were fleeing to their village owing to the Covid-19 scare and lockdown in Bengaluru.Nandini survived the accident with minor injuries.
According to police, Reddy had stopped his bike on the road and was enquiring with other motorists about a Covid-19 checkpost ahead. The checkpost has been set up near Gangapura Gate to prevent people from entering Kolar district. A few motorists had stopped their bikes on the roadside and were talking to those who were sent back from the checkpost when the serial accident took place at 3.20am.
The ambulance driver moving towards Kolar lost control of the vehicle and hit six bikes, including Reddy’s. The ambulance toppled and landed on Reddy, killing him instantly.
“We were worried about Covid-19 and decided to head back to our village. We left home at Thanisandra around 1.30am. Some motorists informed us that police were not allowing vehicles to cross the checkpost. So, we stopped our bike and were waiting there along with other motorists when the incident took place,” police quoted Nandini as saying in her complaint.
Nandagudi police said four others were injured in the accident. The ambulance driver is in police custody.