CHENNAI: CHENNAI: Five elderly women taking rest after grazing cattle were mowed down by a speeding car on Old Mahabalipuram Road (IT Corridor) near Chennai on Wednesday. Of the four college students who were inside the car, two were arrested while the other two escaped from the spot.
The deceased were identified as Vijaya (65), Gowri (55), Logammal (60), Yasodha (55), and Andaya (65), all residents of Pandithamedu village near Mahabalipuram.
They had taken the cattle and goats for grazing on the fields in Paiyanoor village off OMR and were seated under a tree. Meanwhile, the youth driving the car to Puducherry from Chennai lost control and knocked down the women, killing them on the spot. The vehicle stopped after hitting another vehicle parked on the roadside.
The youth, students of a private college in Paiyanoor, escaped unhurt as they were wearing seatbelts and the airbags were released after the collision, the police said. They tried to flee but the onlookers managed to catch two of them, and assaulted and tied to a tree.
The Mahabalipuram police rushed to the spot and rescued the duo from the angry villagers and took them to the station.
Enraged by the incident, hundreds of villagers blocked the road in protest, demanding strict action against the youth, who, they alleged, were drunk at the time of the accident.
Expressing condolence, Chief Minister MK Stalin announced Rs 2 lakh solatium each for the families of the deceased women.