Speeding car mows down pedestrians in Delhi’s Chanakyapuri; 1 killed, another injured

A pedestrian was killed and another is battling for life after an allegedly speeding car mowed them down near the 11 Murti landmark in Chanakyapuri area here on Sunday morning, police said.

Both were rushed to the AIIMS Trauma Centre, where one was declared brought dead, police said. The other is undergoing treatment. The victims are yet to be identified.

According to an officer, a white Mahindra Thar coming from the direction of Dhaula Kuan went off the road and onto the footpath, where it hit the two men.

Police seized the vehicle and found a bottle of whisky inside. The driver was identified as Ashish, a resident of east Delhi’s Shakarpur, who was returning home from Dhaula Kuan.

The car does not belong to him, but to a friend named Ankit, a resident of Ghaziabad, police said. A police source said the vehicle was travelling at a high speed and dragged the two men for a few metres before coming to a halt.

“Such was the speed of the vehicle that one of its front wheels came off,” the source said.

An eyewitness said he saw the car moving at a high speed and skidding before coming to a halt with a loud crash. “It was very scary. Someone on the road shouted ‘banda maar diya’. A police vehicle, which was not far away, immediately came for help and took the injured to the hospital,” the person said.

Another source said there is a possibility that the driver may have dozed off and lost control, or he may be drunk.

“On August 1, the driver’s vehicle was fined for overspeeding. Police found that there is an unpaid fine of Rs 2,000 against the vehicle,” the source said.

An officer said that a patrolling party witnessed the accident around 6.30 am. “One of the policemen immediately made a PCR call and requested an ambulance. The injured were taken to AIIMS Trauma Centre without delay,” the officer said. Police are examining CCTV footage from the area to establish the exact sequence of events.