For ‘totka’, Delhi woman wanted to crush lemon with new Thar, SUV lurches out of showroom's 1st floor

A 29-year-old woman in Delhi accidentally drove her brand-new Mahindra Thar off the first floor of a car showroom during a customary ritual ‘totka’, moments after taking delivery of the vehicle.

The incident took place on Monday evening at the Mahindra showroom in Nirman Vihar.

Maani Pawar, a resident of Indirapuram in Ghaziabad, had arrived at the showroom to collect the Thar. Before taking it onto the road, she chose to perform a traditional ritual, which involved placing a lemon under the front wheel and gently driving over it, a symbolic gesture believed to bring good luck.

However, instead of easing the vehicle forward, Pawar accidentally pressed the accelerator, causing the SUV to move ahead at high speed. The vehicle crashed through the glass wall of the first-floor showroom and plunged onto the pavement below.

A showroom employee, identified as Vikas, was seated in the car with Pawar at the time of the crash. Security footage and bystander videos captured the shocking aftermath, showing the overturned vehicle on the road.

Both occupants escaped serious injuries. The Thar’s airbags opened and the two were quickly rushed to Malik Hospital nearby, where they were treated and discharged after receiving first aid.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Abhishek Dhania confirmed that a medico-legal case (MLC) was filed following the incident. "It was found that Maani and her husband Pradeep had purchased a Thar Rox variant from the showroom," he said.