Thaindian News

New Delhi, May 30 (IANS) A speeding car swerved dangerously and smashed into two auto-rickshaws in the capital Saturday, killing three people and injuring another three, police said.
“An overspeeding Hyundai Verna car first hit a tree and then rammed into two auto-rickshaws which were on the roadside in Chirag Dilli. The autorickshaws were crushed by the impact of the car, which was going from Nehru place to Moolchand. Two men and a woman were reportedly travelling in the car,” said a senior police officer.

Those in the car fled from the spot and police were trying to nab them.

Police said they received information about the accident at around 5.30 a.m. The victims, all of them auto-rickshaw drivers, were identified as Kamlesh, 26, Shantanu, 35, and Subodh, 23. Another auto-rickshaw driver, Sunil, suffered injuries.

“Sunil’s auto had broken down and the three drivers had stopped to help him. Kamlesh and Subodh, who were friends, were in an auto-rickshaw while Shantanu was the owner of another auto. Shantanu’s auto was parked a little away from the spot,” the officer said.

“They were standing near Sunil’s auto and helping him. It was then that the car hit them. Sunil is undergoing treatment at AIIMS,” the officer added.

“The occupants and the driver of the car have not been identified as yet. But the car is registered in the name of Jagmohan Singh, a resident of Malviya Nagar area of south Delhi. But their residence was found locked as the family is in London. Probably some other family member was driving the car,” the police added.

The eyewitnesses told police that the driver lost control of the car.

“An eyewitness, who is also an auto-rickshaw driver, told us that the car was being driven at a very high speed and its impact was such that even the tree came down. The car turned turtle and hit the victims standing nearby. The occupants of the car then fled from the spot,” the police officer said.

Two other people also suffered injuries - Harish who had come for a morning walk and Ali who was cleaning the road, according to police.

Kamlesh and Sunil were residents of Kishanganj area of Vasant Kunj in south Delhi while Shantanu and Subodh live in the Sangam Vihar area.

“We are trying to find out who were in the car and who was driving it. We would also like to know if the driver was drunk,” the police officer added.

The police have registered a case at the Hauz Khas police station but no arrests have been made as yet.