Pradeep Pattanayak

The Nayapalli police arrested a State government official for causing a series of accidents by reckless driving in the Capital city on Thursday. The vehicle he was driving has been seized.

Police said the incident took place when there was usual traffic on the stretch between Xavier square (XIMB) and Kalinga Stadium in the afternoon hours. Taking motorists by surprise, a car driven at top speed appeared from the Xavier Square side. Before the motorists could react, the vehicle hit several vehicles, leaving many injured.

After leaving a trail of damaged vehicles, the driver sped away from the spot.

Meanwhile, some commuters informed the police and, within a few minutes, a PCR van reached the spot. Later, it gave the fleeing vehicle a chase. In their attempt to intercept the car, the PCR van tried to block its way, but failed. 

The rogue driver then banged car into the PCR van before speeding away towards Kalinga Stadium. The PCR van continued the chase, before finally intercepting the car after a distance and arrested the driver who has been identified as Narendranath Munda, who is employed with the Steel and Mines Department of Odisha government.

Sources in the police said that Munda’s interrogation is on and police are planning to send his blood samples for testing to find out if he was driving under the influence of alcohol.

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