CHENNAI: An 18-year-old college student died in an accident during an illegal bike race involving a group of friends on the Maduravoyal bypass road on Friday night.

The deceased was identified as Jai Haris, a resident of Kadaperi in Tambaram and a second-year Electronics and Communication Engineering student at a private college in Sholinganallur.

The police said Jai Haris was invited by his friends late on Friday night to join a bike ride. As his own two-wheeler was at a service centre, he carried only his helmet from home and rode a friend’s Yamaha R15 motorcycle.

Seven youths travelling on five motorcycles were allegedly engaged in illegal bike racing on the Tambaram-Maduravoyal bypass road. When the group reached Kovur near Porur, Jai Haris reportedly lost control of the motorcycle and crashed into the median. In the impact, he sustained severe head injuries, while the pillion rider suffered minor injuries.

The police said Jai Haris was bleeding heavily from the nose and was rushed to the Tambaram Government Hospital, but he died on the way.

The Poonamallee Traffic Investigation Wing police registered a case after visiting the spot. During inquiries, police found that Jai Haris was not wearing the helmet he had brought from home at the time of the accident; he had allegedly handed it over to one of his friends.

The police are collecting details of the other youths involved in the bike race. Tambaram City Police are also conducting parallel inquiries, as the stretch where the race allegedly began falls under their jurisdiction.