Man killed as bike crashes into Metro pillar

Kochi: A 26-year-old man was killed after his bike crashed into a Metro pillar at Kalamassery in the early hours of Tuesday.The deceased Muhammed Musthafa, who hailed from Karipur in Malappuram, was currently residing at Kakkanad. Police sources said the victim, who ran a startup company along with his friends in Kochi, was on his way to his hometown when the accident happened.
Police suspect that Musthafa lost control of the vehicle and it crashed into the Metro pillar No 293. However, a detailed investigation is on to confirm the cause of the accident, an officer said. Vehicle catches fire: A moving car caught fire near Edapally around 6:30pm on Tuesday. The driver had a narrow escape as he managed to exit the vehicle in time. Soon after receiving alerts, fire force units from Eloor and Thrikkakara fire stations rushed to the spot and doused the flames. The driver stopped the car when he noticed smoke coming from the front portion. Officials said the car was almost completely gutted, and the exact cause of the fire will be known only after an investigation. Special drive against private buses: Under the direction of Kochi city police commissioner Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar, police conducted a special drive against private buses operating in the city from Jan 31 to Feb 2 and took strict actions for various traffic violations. This included 156 cases for zebra crossing violations, obstructive parking and footpath parking. It also included 13 cases for driving dangerously and five cases for speeding. In addition, there were 43 cases against private buses operating with open doors, 11 cases against drivers not wearing uniforms and nine cases for traffic signal violations. Police also registered 53 cases against buses not stopping at designated stops and 10 cases for overtaking from the left side.