Bengaluru couple killed, 2 injured as siren-blaring ambulance without patient jumps signal

A speeding ambulance with its siren blaring jumped a traffic signal, rammed into two motorbikes, and veered onto a footpath at Kengal Hanumanthaiah Junction in Bengaluru late Saturday night, leaving a couple dead and two others seriously injured.

The deceased were identified as Ismail Nathar Dabapu (40) and his wife Sameen Banu (33), residents of Sudhamanagar. The couple, originally from Bhatkal in Uttara Kannada, are survived by their three young children, two daughters and a son studying in Classes 2, 5, and 7. Ismail ran a wholesale clothing business in the city.

According to the police, the ambulance, belonging to Cloud9 Hospital, was not carrying any patients at the time of the crash but had its siren and beacon lights on. The vehicle jumped the signal and collided with two scooters that were crossing the junction around 11.15 pm. The impact was so severe that it threw the riders off their bikes.

The injured victims were identified as Mohammed Riyan (29), a private firm employee, and Mohammed Siddiq (32), a mechanic from Someshwaranagar in Jayanagar. Both were rushed to nearby hospitals by the public.

The ambulance driver, Ashok, from KR Pete in Mandya district, initially fled the scene fearing mob attack but later surrendered to the Siddapura police. Preliminary tests confirmed he was not under the influence of alcohol.

Eyewitnesses said that all four victims were wearing helmets at the time of the crash and blamed the driver’s recklessness for the tragedy, according to a TOI report. Many locals expressed anger, accusing ambulance drivers of misusing emergency privileges by turning on sirens even when not carrying patients.

Police have arrested the driver and registered a case of rash and negligent driving.