Three killed in road accident in Ranipet town

Three youngsters were killed in a road accident after an SUV hit their two-wheeler on a road overbridge (ROB) at Navalpur village in Ranipet town in the early hours of Thursday (November 20, 2025).

The deceased were identified as T. Balamurugan, 19, S. Dinesh, 20, and B. Shah Jahan, 26. They were residents of Karai village near Ranipet town, Rangapuram in Vellore, and Arcot town, respectively.

Initial inquiries revealed that they were triple-riding a two-wheeler to have tea near the toll gate at Walajah town on the Chennai-Bengaluru Highway (NH48). While they were on a two-lane bridge — which did not have a median — to drop Balamurugan at his house at Karai village, the driver of the SUV, Ayub Khan, 56, a native of Kolar (Karnataka), got onto the wrong lane of the carriageway, the police said.

The SUV hit the two-wheeler on the bridge. The incident occurred at around 3 a.m. In the impact, Dinesh and Balamurugan were thrown off the vehicle, and the former died on the spot.

Four workers from Kolar, who were in the SUV, escaped unhurt. Passersby alerted the Ranipet Town police, who shifted Balamurugan and Shah Jahan to the Government Taluk Hospital in Walajah town where the doctors declared them ‘brought dead’. A case was registered, and the SUV driver was arrested.

The police said the bridge lacked a median to ensure lane discipline among motorists. A probe is under way.