Bhubaneswar: Three daily wage labourers were killed after their motorcycle travelling in the wrong direction collided with a car on the Puri bypass near the Sai temple on Tankapani Road here early on Tuesday.
Badagada police identified the deceased as Sibu Mohanty (17), Kanha Khuntia (19), and Arakhita Behera (17). Mohanty and Behera were residents of Haladipadia slum, while Khuntia lived near Trinath temple in Laxmisagar.
Police said Mohanty was riding the two-wheeler. Initial investigation revealed that after dinner, the three teenagers wanted to buy alcohol. They asked their friend to lend them his motorcycle, but when he refused and went to sleep, they secretly took his bike keys and left.
“They rode on the wrong side of the Puri bypass towards Pandara area, avoiding a lengthy U-turn at the median cut. Around 2 am, their motorcycle collided with an SUV travelling towards Puri,” a police officer said.
The impact was so severe that the motorcycle and its riders were thrown into the air. The SUV driver, Satyaprakash Kar from Jagatsinghpur district, who was travelling alone, sustained injuries, police sources said.
Local shopkeepers, upon hearing the crash, rushed to the spot and alerted police. All four men were taken to Capital Hospital, where the three teenagers were declared brought dead. Kar, who suffered injuries to his head, hands and legs, was discharged in the afternoon after treatment.
Police detained Kar, who was found to be intoxicated. Cops identified the deceased by tracking down the motorcycle owner, who informed them about their plan to buy alcohol, leading to the fatal accident.