Thar driver behind death of 2 in Delhi’s Chanakyapuri held; drugs found stashed in car

Delhi Police on Monday said the speeding Thar that mowed down two people in the Chanakyapuri area here a day earlier, was found stashed with cocaine, LSD and other drugs.

Ashish Bachchas (26) from east Delhi's Shakarpur was arrested from the spot. He is a drug addict and a supplier, police said, adding that a medical examination confirmed that he was driving under the influence.

A search of the Uttar Pradesh-registered car led to the recovery of commercial quantities of cocaine (0.30 gm), LSD (2.6 gm), MD (23.47 gm), cannabis (21.26 gm), charas (4.17 gm), tobacco (15.49 gm), Rs 25,000 in cash, and a mobile phone, police said.

The accident occurred around 6.30 am on Sunday near Gate Number 3 of Talkatora Stadium. One of the victims was identified as Sujesh Kshetri, hailing from Sikkim, while the other is yet to be identified.

Both were rushed to the AIIMS Trauma Centre, where one was declared brought dead and the other, who was undergoing treatment, succumbed to injuries later in the day, a senior police officer said.

A PCR call was made from a passerby who informed police about the accident. Officers found the two men lying unconscious and bleeding, while the SUV's bonnet was crumpled from the impact with the pole that it crashed into, Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Devesh Mahla said.

He said an empty liquor bottle was also recovered from inside the vehicle.

Preliminary investigation suggests that Bachchas, who was unemployed and previously worked as a driver, celebrated Raksha Bandhan with his family in Shakarpur and left for Gurugram on Saturday night.

He was returning home when the accident took place, he added.

"On August 1, the driver's vehicle was fined for over-speeding. Police found that there is an unpaid fine of Rs 2,000 against the vehicle," the police source said.

A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act at Chanakyapuri police station.

The offending vehicle has been impounded and further investigation is on to trace the source of the narcotics and establish the complete sequence of events.