Speeding Thar mows down pedestrians; kills 1, sends another to hospital in Chanakyapuri

A pedestrian was killed and another is battling for life after an allegedly speeding Thar mowed them down near the 11 Murti landmark in the Chanakyapuri area here 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 car and found a bottle of whisky in the car. The driver was identified as one Ashish, a resident of east Delhi's Shakarpur, who was returning home from Dhaula Kuan. The Uttar Pradesh registered 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 man is killed). A police vehicle, which was not far away, immediately came for help and took the injured to the hospital," the person said.

Another source, privy to the investigation, 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.

"Preliminary inquiry has revealed that Ashish was headed towards his residence in Shakarpur. His occupation status is unclear at the moment, though he has previously worked as a driver," he said.

Police are examining CCTV footage from the area to establish the exact sequence of events.