Bengaluru Student, on Trial for Drunk Hit-and-Run, Now in Road Rage Case

Bengaluru: A college student in Bengaluru who is being tried for a drunk driving case in which one person died has now been charged in a new case of road rage.

Rajesh Reddy, 22, was driving his BMW last week when it was allegedly hit by another car in the heart of the city. The police says Mr Reddy then snatched the keys of the other car, an Etios, from its driver. The police complaint says that the driver was forced into the backseat while Mr Reddy slammed on the gas and drove rashly to ensure the car would be damaged. It was found near a tree that it Mr Reddy had allegedly hit.

After being arrested, the student was granted bail.

Mr Reddy is being tried in a local court on charges of driving drunk in 2013 and speeding in his Audi when he hit an auto. One person was killed in that accident, which outraged the city after CCTV footage established how Mr Reddy came tearing down the street.

Mr Reddy's father is an industrialist. He said that the new road rage case against him is fabricated and denied that he took the other driver hostage in the Etios. Instead, he said, his BMW was mistakenly driven away by a friend after the fender-bender, and that Mr Reddy and the driver of the Etios agreed to leave the spot together. The student denied causing any damage to the Etios in an act of revenge. He said the car was already dented.