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Nedumbassery, Kerala — May 9, 2026 — Three young colleagues died early Saturday when a speeding luxury car hit their scooter near the Athani signal, on the approach road to Cochin International Airport. The scooter was dragged for nearly 100 meters before the car came to a stop. Local residents chased the driver after he allegedly tried to leave, held him, and handed him over to police.
Police identified the victims as Devika, 21, from Madakkimala in Wayanad; Ijaz, 21, from Sullia in Mangaluru; and Gopika, 21, from Karimba in Palakkad. All three were employees at a commercial establishment in Thrikkakara, a busy suburb within the Kochi metropolitan area. District police sources said the three worked at the same firm and were known to colleagues as a close team. Their deaths were confirmed at the scene; the impact was severe enough that the two-wheeler was carried along the asphalt for roughly the length of a football field.
The crash happened around dawn, a time when traffic on the airport corridor is usually light. Eyewitnesses said the luxury car was traveling from the airport side at a speed that made it hard for anyone on the road to react. A local resident told reporters: “We heard a deafening crash and ran out. Three young people were lying on the road, so we immediately called police and an ambulance.”
The driver, later identified as Sujail Sajeev, got out of the car along with another man. Witnesses said Sajeev tried to walk away from the crash site but was stopped by a group of residents. Some bystanders accused him of being under the influence of alcohol or narcotics, and his behavior reportedly made the situation worse. Instead of showing remorse, witnesses said, he argued aggressively with people around him and boasted that his family would handle whatever happened next.
Nedumbassery police arrived, took Sajeev into custody, and impounded the car for examination. The bodies of the three victims were sent to a government hospital for autopsy. Police have also ordered toxicology tests on the driver to determine whether alcohol or drugs played a role. The results of those tests are expected to be a key part of the investigation.
The second person in the car has not been identified by police. Investigators are looking at the car’s speed, the condition of the vehicle, and the movements of the driver in the hours before the collision. No formal charges have been announced, and legal action will depend on the forensic findings.
The Athani signal is one of the busiest junctions on the road linking Cochin International Airport with central Kochi. On a normal day, the stretch carries airport taxis, shuttle buses, private cars, and two-wheelers moving in both directions. Saturday’s collision was the type of road incident that safety advocates in Kerala have repeatedly warned about: a heavy, fast-moving vehicle sharing space with lightly protected scooters at an hour when roads are empty enough to invite speed.
The location also gives the tragedy a wider meaning. Cochin International Airport is Kerala’s main air gateway and serves travelers from Europe, the Gulf, and South Asia. U.S. visitors flying to Kerala for business or tourism also pass through this route. The U.S. State Department’s India travel guidance has long advised Americans to be cautious about road conditions and aggressive driving. The deaths of Devika, Ijaz, and Gopika are a clear example of why that warning remains relevant.
Road-safety observers in Kerala have been calling for stricter speed enforcement near major transport hubs. The airport corridor is particularly sensitive because it mixes tourists unfamiliar with local roads, exhausted travelers, airport staff, and daily commuters. Empty roads in the early morning can create a false sense of safety, and police investigators are likely to focus on whether the driver treated the wide stretch as a high-speed lane.
There is also a deeper two-wheeler safety question. Scooters are one of the most common forms of commuter transport for young people across Kerala, but they offer little protection in a collision with a heavier luxury car. The distance the scooter was dragged on Saturday shows how violently it was struck. Safety campaigners will almost certainly use the case to push for better separated lanes, improved lighting, and more visible police patrols on access roads to the airport.
For now, the focus is on the families, who are waiting for the release of the bodies. Funeral arrangements are expected to take place after the autopsy is complete. Nedumbassery police have said the investigation is ongoing and no final conclusions have been reached.
This is a developing story. Updates will be provided as authorities release the results of the forensic examination and any further details about the driver.
