Death-Trap ORR Claims Tollywood Actor

HYDERABAD: Speed snuffed out yet another life on the Outer Ring Road (ORR) late on Saturday when Tollywood actor Ravi Teja's brother, Bhupathi Bharath Raj, crashed his Skoda Octavia into a parked lorry near Kothwalguda in Shamshabad. Bharath, 49, who himself was an actor, died on the desolate stretch even though air bags burst open after the collision.
RGIA police were tightlipped about details of the accident, including presence of liquor bottles in the rear seat of the car.Police said the accident took place around 10pm when Bharath was heading towards Gachibowli from Novotel Hotel, RGIA, on the ORR. He was alone in the car when it crashed and slid under the lorry. The Skoda's speedometer needle froze at 150 kmph.
Due to the impact of the high-speed collision, the front portion of the car, including the driver, slid underneath the lorry , resulting in his instant death. Shards of glass from the windshield were all over Bharath's face. “There are no eyewitnesses to the accident.Someone called `Dial-100' and informed about the incident.Though a local police team reached the spot immediately , we were able to establish his identity only on Sunday morning,'' RGIA SI Ramesh Naik said.
Bharath was driving in the extreme left lane of the carriageway , reserved for slow-moving vehicles.
Police recovered a few IDs from his vehicle and through that his identity was established. Based on the car registrations details, police discovered that the vehicle was registered in the name of Rajalakshmi, Bharath's mother. Based on the contact details available against the registration number, police called the family members and informed them about the mishap. RGI Airport police did not reveal whether Bharath was drunk or not and how the family came to know about the accident. Police seized a vodka bottle from the car and it was video graphed too. RGIA police claimed they were still probing why Bharath went to Novotel.
“We do not know whether there was a liquor bottle in the car. To know whether Bharath was drunk or not, we have to wait till we get the forensic report,'' RGIA inspector M Mahesh told TOI.
Police said the lorry driver was not at the spot when the mishap took place as he reportedly went to have his dinner. A case was registered by RGIA police under section 304-A (negligence causing death) of IPC. Bharath hit headlines a few years ago after he was arrested in a drug bust case. Later, he was acquitted. Bharath's friend Aditya, who visited OGH mortuary , claimed the actor gave up alcohol three three years ago. “I don't know why he went to Novotel. I am the only one he used to be in touch with and he used to share things only with me,'' Aditya added.