Post hit-and-run, Bengaluru autorickshaw driver dumps woman’s body in garbage heap

BENGALURU: A hit-and-run in Kengeri claimed the life of a 50-year-old woman Monday morning, turning what initially seemed like a mysterious death near a garbage dump into a chilling tale of accident and attempted cover-up. Kempamma, a resident of Vinayakanagar in Kengeri Satellite Town, sustained severe head injuries after being struck by an autorickshaw.

The driver took her to a hospital but, upon realizing she had died, reportedly did the unthinkable—dumped her body in a garbage heap and fled the scene.

Kengeri police have arrested 50-year-old autorickshaw driver Basavegowda, a resident of Laggere, following CCTV analysis and eyewitness accounts. The vehicle involved, bearing registration KA-02-AG-4616, hit Kempamma near a Domino's Pizza outlet while Basavegowda was ferrying two passengers to Kengeri railway station. Eyewitnesses immediately called the 108 ambulance service, but help did not arrive in time.

Basavegowda later confessed that Kempamma suddenly walked onto the road and, unable to control the vehicle, he struck her, leaving her critically injured.

The passengers, reportedly in a rush to catch their train, left the scene shortly after the accident. With assistance from nearby restaurant employees, Basavegowda placed the injured woman in his autorickshaw and rushed her to a private hospital, where staff allegedly refused treatment due to lack of facilities. He then drove her to Rajarajeshwari Hospital, but upon checking her condition at the hospital gate, he realized she had died.

Panicked, Basavegowda allegedly transported the body to a garbage dump near the BDA apartment and abandoned it, in an attempt to evade responsibility.

Police arrested him Tuesday night and took him into custody to reconstruct the sequence of events and corroborate evidence. "We have taken him into police custody to reconstruct the crime and match the chain of events with evidence. The case will later be handed over to traffic police," said deputy commissioner of police (South-West) Anitha B Haddannavar.

A senior officer added that efforts are under way to trace the two passengers who had booked the auto through a taxi aggregator, as their statements are crucial to the investigation. "We have collected CCTV footage from multiple locations and are convinced this is an accident, not a murder," the officer said.