Death of Malaysian student: Karnataka police detain bus driver

The police in the state of Karnataka, South India have detained a private bus driver to facilitate investigations into an accident which resulted in the death of two medical students, including a Malaysian on Wednesday.

When contacted late this evening, Consul for Education and Training at the Consulate-General Office in Chennai, Sahubar Ibrahim Ismail Gani confirmed the arrest.

S. Uthaya Kumar, 23, a student of the Malacca Manipal Medical College (MMMC) was riding pillion on a motorcycle ridden by a local student.

The Indian student was killed on the spot, while Uthaya was reported to have succumbed to his injuries on the way to a hospital in Chiradurga, about 250km from Bangalore, Karnataka.

READ: Malaysian student dies in road accident in India

Sahubar Ibrahim told Bernama that Uthaya's father and another relative arrived in Bangalore about 5pm, to facilitate the repatriation of the student's remains.

Sahubar Ibrahim said he and another officer from the Consulate-General's Office have been assisting the Malaysian student's family.

"Post-mortem already completed and we are making arrangements for Uthaya's body to be taken to Bangalore and his remains are expected to arrive in Malaysia by early Sunday morning," he added.

It is learned that Uthaya left Manipal with a convoy of bikers from a local club to Nagpur on Jan 21.

The accident occurred when the group was on its return journey to Manipal.

Sahubar Ibrahim said Uthaya was a Public Service Department-sponsored student and scheduled to complete his studies on March 8, before continuing the studies at the MMMC campus in Malacca.