Bhubaneswar: Panic gripped residents and occupants of a private women’s hostel in Nayapalli, Bhubaneswar, in the early hours of Thursday after a heavily intoxicated businessman lost control of his SUV and rammed it into the premises.
According to sources, the vehicle veered off the Jayadev Vihar–Biju Patnaik College road under the Nayapalli police station limits, smashed through the locked main boundary gate of the hostel located opposite Biju Patnaik College, and crushed multiple scooters and three two-wheelers parked near the entrance.
Local residents and hostel residents rushed out as the out-of-control vehicle caused significant damage before coming to a halt. CCTV footage captured the SUV departing the road and ploughing into the compound. A woman resident confirmed that the gate was locked at the time and that no one was present near the entrance, averting what could have been a far more serious outcome. No injuries were reported in the incident. “The car suddenly came at a high speed and rammed straight through the gate around midnight on August 5. We were terrified and ran out of our rooms because we didn’t know what was happening. It completely smashed the scooters parked inside. We then informed the PCR and called for an ambulance. His blood alcohol concentration (BAC) test result of 398 confirmed that he was heavily intoxicated. It took almost 30 minutes to take his out of the vehicle,” the house owner told the media.
On being informed, police from the Nayapalli station reached the scene, seized the SUV, and registered a case. The driver has been identified as 40-year-old B Mohanty, a businessman and resident of VSS Nagar. “The driver was found to be heavily drunk. A notice was issued to him,” said ACP Zone V Biswa Ranjan.
Senapati added that no arrest was made since the crash resulted in neither injuries nor loss of life. However, investigation is underway to determine the extent of the damage and the precise circumstances.
The episode has heightened concerns over reckless and drunk driving in the state capital, coming just weeks after a fatal incident on July 13 in the Shastri Nagar area in which a law student allegedly drove a Mercedes into a motorcycle while intoxicated, killing the rider on the spot.