Actress Sharmeila Mandre and her friend Lokesh Vasanth have been suspected of driving under the influence in the wee hours on Saturday.
According to Bengaluru city traffic police, they received information about an accident under the jurisdiction of Vasanth Nagar police station in the Central Business District (CBD). The police rushed to the spot to find a man at the scene. The man allegedly falsely claimed to have caused the accident. Once the police asked him for his name and driving license, he refused to share his details. He then told the police that his friends were in the car. Upon inquiring more into what had actually taken place, the man urged the police to let him go without registering a case. The police then went on to inform him that it was now a serious offense, as the people in the car might be seriously injured.
The saga continued when the police received a memo from the Fortis Hospital on Cunningham Road. The memo stated that two people identified as Sharmiela Mandre (33), and Lokesh Vasanth (35), had checked into the hospital. They claimed to have met with an accident in JP Nagar. The police rushed to the hospital. The duo was undergoing treatment.
"We don't know how the car hit the pillars in the underbridge if the accident has taken place in JP Nagar. According to doctors, it is suspected that the duo was under the influence but a report yet to come," the investigating police officers said.
The police were awaiting permission to talk to the injured. They were to record a statement. An investigation will follow. The police suspect that the duo had misinformed the hospital about their accident's location.
Additionally, the police have stated that the duo did not have a pass to drive during the lockdown. The charges include a drunk and driving violation and a violation with respect to violating the lockdown order.
Sharmeila Mandre and her friend Lokesh Vasanth have allegedly fled from the hospital. The police are in pursuit of them.
1.jpg "Actress Sharmeila Mandre injured in an accident in Bengaluru")
