A 47-year-old autorickshaw driver and six commuters were injured after the vehicle they were travelling in collided with an SUV on Arakkonam-Sholingur Main Road at Chithambadi village near Arakkonam town in Ranipet on Thursday (March 19, 2026).

The police said the injured persons were identified as Mohammed Asif, 47, autorickshaw driver, K. Subramani, 50, S. Kulori, 48, B. Selvaraj, 45, S. Thulsi, 60, V. Bhanumathi, 65, and G. Selvam, 46. Except Asif, a native of Arakkonam, the remaining injured persons are residents of Chithambadi village.

The initial inquiry revealed that Asif picked up the commuters at the bus terminus in Arakkonam to drop them in the village. As the vehicle was proceeding on the stretch, Asif noticed the SUV reportedly approaching at high speed towards the autorickshaw. Before he could steer the wheel for safety, Asif and other commuters in the autorickshaw were hit by the SUV.

The police said that passersby and other motorists rushed to the spot and rescued the injured persons. They also alerted Arakkonam Town police, who shifted the injured persons to Government Taluk Hospital in the town. Later, they were referred to Government Medical College Hospital in Tiruvallur district, where their condition is said to be stable.

The driver and others in the SUV fled the spot. The police removed the mangled autorickshaw from the carriageway to restore traffic movement on the route and seized the SUV. Special teams have been formed to nab the suspects. A case was registered and further probe is under way.