Mysuru: Narasimharaja (NR) Traffic Police have traced a man, accused in a hit-and-run case yesterday morning and have seized the vehicle within hours of the crime.

Yesterday (Nov.30) at about 7 am, Bangara Nayaka and his wife Asha, both teachers at a school in city and residents of Srirangapatna, were proceeding to their school, when a Mahindra SUV (KA-12 M-3242) hit the two-wheeler on which the teacher couple were travelling near the Deaf and Dumb School on Bamboo Bazaar Road and sped away. The couple, who sustained injuries, was admitted to K.R. Hospital.

NR Traffic Police, who registered a case, began their investigation and checked the CCTV footage of the camera installed at the nearby Circle and came to know that it was a red coloured Mahindra SUV.

NR Traffic Inspector R. Diwakar, who took the case seriously, visited various garages and showed the mechanics the photo of the SUV during which a mechanic told the Inspector that the SUV is usually used in Madikeri side. Based on the information provided by the mechanic, Inspector Diwakar sent the photo of the SUV to Police personnel manning check-posts on roads leading to Nanjangud, T. Narasipur and Hunsur besides asking the Police personnel there to look for the SUV.

Meanwhile, a Traffic Police personnel, who saw the red Mahindra SUV passing on Hinkal Flyover at about 1 pm, immediately informed Inspector Diwakar, who in turn informed Yelwal Police besides asking the Police personnel at the check-post to be alert.

Soon, Yelwal Police, stopped the SUV that came from Mysuru side and took the driver-cum-mechanic identified as 33-year-old Chandra of Kutta in Virajpet taluk of Kodagu to custody, seized the SUV and informed about the same to Inspector Diwakar.

Chandra, along with the SUV owner, had brought the vehicle for trial after it was repaired. 

They had left Virajpet at about 5 am yesterday and reached Mysuru at 7 am. They were passing on the Bamboo Bazaar Road when Chandra, who was behind the wheels, hit the teacher couple near the Deaf and Dumb School and sped away.

DCP B.T. Kavitha and Traffic ACP S.N. Sandesh Kumar supervised NR Traffic Inspector R. Diwakar, SI K. Raghu and staff Somashekar and Khaleem Pasha in the operation.