Pics: Spoorthi Ullal

Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Dec 22: A car that was being used by Dr Ullas Karanth, son of the late Dr Shivaram Karanth, a highly respected conservation zoologist and tiger expert, during his visits to the city burnt down partially due to fire which suddenly got ignited. Car driver, Raghuram, escaped unhurt when flames appeared in the car all of a sudden.

Raghuram belongs to the family of Karanth and resides in a house on PVS Kalakunj Road near Besant College.

On Thursday December 21, Raghuram had started from his house in the said car. By the time he had barely covered 200 metres from home, he saw the smoke coming out from the bonnet. He stopped the car and found that flames were visible inside. With the help of auto rickshaw drivers nearby, water was sprinkled on the fire. As the fire did not die down, fire brigade was called. The fire brigade officials succeeded in extinguishing fire.

It is said that short circuit in the car battery had caused the fire. In a complaint filed in Kadri police station, Raghuram estimated loss in this incident as one lac rupees.