By Itishree Sethy

Copyright pragativadi

The incident occurred early Monday morning when an unidentified vehicle collided with a Honda bike carrying four passengers.

The deceased, L. Raju Penti, was traveling from Padmapur towards Rayagada with his family when the vehicle struck them near Hatikhamba village. Raju fell under the wheels and died instantly due to head injuries. The injured were rushed to Ramanaguda Community Health Center and later transferred to Gunupur Sub-Divisional Hospital.

Mukundpur outpost police, led by officer Umashankar Tripathy and constable Ramakanta Padhi, responded swiftly to the scene. Raju’s body was sent for post-mortem, and police have registered a case of hit-and-run. The vehicle involved remains unidentified, and efforts are underway to trace it.

Locals have expressed concern over increasing accidents on National Highway 326 and demanded stricter enforcement and surveillance.