Hyderabad: Five persons, including two children, were killed when a Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle crashed into a sedan on the Mahabubnagar bypass road in the early hours of Monday. Police said the superbike was cruising at around 160 kmph — nearly three times the permitted speed limit of 60 kmph — and was reportedly involved in a street race with a group of bikers.Bike rider, Mohammad Avez, 29, and pillion rider Yakub Afzal, 30, died on the spot. Three passengers seated in the rear of the car — Arshiya Begum, 28, her 18-month-old son Amer, and a 10-year-old named Huzaifa — succumbed to injuries in hospital.The car’s occupants, from Palakonda in Mahbubnagar, were returning home from a family gathering at Christianpally in Mahabubnagar town. “Arshiya Begum’s husband, Basith, was driving the car. There were eight people in the car. Three of the occupants were killed on the spot while another three suffered minor injuries. Basith escaped unharmed,” Mahabubnagar ASP NB Ratnam said, adding that the superbike ploughed into the rear left door of the Verna when the car driver was taking a right turn at a median near Palakonda.Police said Avez was the superbike’s second owner and had purchased it from a person in Haryana. “The bike still sports a Haryana registration number. Avez had completed transfer of ownership recently but was yet to put the new plates on the bike,” Ratnam said.A preliminary police investigation revealed that Avez was part of a group of 12 bikers from Hyderabad who went to Mahabubnagar town to attend a friend’s family function. “They reached Mahbubnagar at around 10.30 pm. The accident occurred while the group was returning to Hyderabad at 12.30 am,” Mahbubnagar II Town SI Vijay Kumar said.Police said overspeeding by the biker was the primary cause for the accident. “The speedometer needle was stuck at 160 kmph, indicating that Avez was riding at an even higher speed,” the ASP said.Police said they have preserved Avez’s viscera to determine if he was under the influence of alcohol at the time. “Arshiya’s family said the bikers were all racing each other when the accident occurred. We are investigating the allegations,” Ratnam said.A case was registered under BNS Sections 106(1) (causing death due to negligence) and 125(a) (causing hurt by an act endangering life or personal safety of others). The bodies of the deceased were handed over to their families after post-mortems at Mahbubnagar area hospital.
