Daringbadi: Brahmanigaon police Monday evening arrested the driver of a mini-truck that fell into a 30-feet deep gorge and claimed the lives of 11 people at Bangardua ghat in Kandhamal district last week.
After the accident, the driver Ranjan Mandal availed treatment at the Brahmanigaon community health centre and escaped from the hospital.
Acting on a tip-off, the police conducted a raid at Daringbadi and arrested Ranjan following which he was produced in a court.
The court rejected his bail application and remanded him into judicial custody, said Brahmanigaon police station IIC Jaychandra Mallick.
People from Sulumaha and Kalingitha in Tajungia panchayat and Hatimunda and Gadapur villages were on their way to Brahmanigaon for a religious function in the mini-truck January 22.
While negotiating the Bangardua ghat, the driver lost control on the wheels and the vehicle plunged into the gorge. Eleven people were killed while 35 others were injured in the mishap.
PNN