Man dies after driving off cliff in Anantapur; accident caught on camera
The Hindu
A school correspondent, identified as Umapathi, 56, died after his car hurtled off a steep cliff on the Devunikonda ghat road with him behind the wheel in Bukkarayasamudram on Monday morning.
A school correspondent, identified as Umapathi, 56, died after his car hurtled off a steep cliff on the Devunikonda ghat road with him behind the wheel in Bukkarayasamudram on Monday morning.
Police, however, seem to be not fully convinced of Umapathi’s death being accidental, as a video has emerged of him driving his car off the cliff. It is unclear who shot the video, with police suspecting that it could be Umapathi’s driver.
The correspondent of a school named Sri Vidya Niketan in Anantapur, Umapathi was reportedly in a financial crisis as the school was struggling to stay afloat in the aftermath of losses suffered during COVID-19.
Singanamala Circle Inspector Ashrar Basha, hinting that it was still unclear whether the death was an accident or a suicide, told The Hindu that they were yet to receive a complaint from Umapathi’s family or the school management.
“At 11.30 a.m., Umapathi along with his driver went up to the Lord Venkateswara temple on the Devunikonda hillock. While returning downhill, Umapathi is learnt to have taken the wheel and reportedly asked the driver to get down from the car. However, instead of turning at the hairpin bend downhill, he drove on straight and hurtled off the cliff to land on the ground, plunging from a height of around 75 feet,” sources said.
Police retrieved Umapathi’s body from the mangled remains of the car. Later, a video surfaced which showed Umapathi driving off the cliff and tumbling down to his death. A man can be heard calling out to him in the video. However, it is unclear why the man continued to film the accident instead of trying to prevent Umapathi from driving off the cliff, police said, adding that they are waiting for a complaint to be lodged in order to take up an investigation.
Umapathi’s body has been sent for post-mortem. More details are awaited.
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