Bangalore:
A man was missing after his pre-dawn fun car ride with friends ended in the Bellandur Lake on Wednesday, the police said.
The man, Aditya Bhograj, was sitting on the roof of the speeding car which plunged into the lake around 4 am, the police said quoting those who accompanied him in the ride. He was reportedly among a group of five friends, who had gone for a spin.
Four others, including a woman, in the car escaped unhurt. The police said the friends were apparently under the influence of alcohol. The friends were in their mid-20s.
The car, coming from Yemmalur, veered away from the road while negotiating a curve and fell into the lake.
A day-long search for Bhograj was called off at dusk. As many as 20 firemen, besides police personnel, were involved in the search operation. The car was fished out of the lake and taken into police custody.
The search would continue on Thursday, the police said. They hinted that they were suspecting the friends' version of the incident. Bhograj was a native of Veloor in Andhra Pradesh.
The car, a Fiat Grande Punto, belonged to Mohit Manjunath of Sahakaranagar. He was at the wheels when the car took the plunge. The police said he had admitted to be drunk when the accident happened.
Manjunath told the police that he had lost control over the car, resulting in the accident. He was now facing a charge of rash and negligent driving under the influence of alcohol.
Besides Manjunath, Vinod Kumar, Kishore and Soumya Naidu were in the car, while Bhograj preferred to sit on the roof.
Manjunath reportedly told the police that he had picked up Soumya from Sahakaranagar around 3 am, before the others joined them. Kishore said he was picked up from Murugeshpalya. Soumya and Kishore were classmates and hailed from Hospet taluk in Bellary.
Soon after the accident, the men sent Soumya home. The police were yet to record her statement.
Kumar said he was not in a mood to speak to the police or media. "I have done nothing wrong. I don't want to comment on the incident," he said.
The Airport traffic police said the HAL police informed them about the accident. Passersby had earlier around 6 am alerted the HAL police.
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