Mysuru/ Tumakuru: Three Policemen including one Inspector from Mysuru who were going to Bagalkot in a jeep were killed on the spot when a speeding truck collided with their vehicle head-on at midnight yesterday. The impact of the accident was such that the jeep had got attached to the front portion of the truck and the mangled remains had to be extricated to remove the dead bodies.

The victims are Dy.SP Balegowda of CID Bengaluru, CID Inspector Shivaswamy, a native of Nanjangud and CID Driver Venugopal. The officers were deputed to maintain law and order for the May 12 election at Bagalkot and the Election Commission had sent a communication to them yesterday asking them to report to duty on May 10.

Accordingly, the trio left Bengaluru at around 8 pm and took NH 48. They stopped at a hotel near Kora Police Station for dinner and proceeded towards Bagalkot. As they were only 6 kms from Bagalkot on Bagalkot-Ilkal Road, a speeding truck collided with their jeep at around 1 am at Mallapura Cross (Koodalasangama Cross).

Due to the impact of the accident, the truck, after hitting the jeep from the front, pushed it to some distance and came to a screeching halt. While Balegowda was seated in the front seat along with Venugopal, Shivaswamy was seated at the back seat. All the three died on the spot.

Seeing the accident, other commuters on the road rushed to the help of the victims but they were unable to extricate the bodies as the jeep had got attached to the front portion of the truck. The Bagalkot Police were informed and a team of Policemen arrived to pull out the dead from the mangled jeep.

Police said that Shivaswamy was 55 years old and hailed from Heggadahalli village of Hullahalli hobli in Nanjangud. He was recently promoted from Sub-Inspector’s post to Inspector and was transferred to CID.

He earlier served in the District Special Branch, Chamarajanagar, Yelandur and Male Mahadeshwara Hills.

Shivaswamy leaves behind his wife and three daughters.

A pall of gloom has descended over the CID office at Carlton House in Bengaluru where the family members of all the deceased have arrived.

While the families are devastated after losing their breadwinners, officers are shocked as they have lost a Dy.SP, an Inspector and Department driver.