Dhanas accident: Three days on, Beetle driver lands in police net
The accused was identified as Paramveer Singh (19) of Panchkula. A total of three victims have succumbed to injuries to date after the speeding car first rammed into a motorcycle before hitting people present on the roadside near the Dhanas Community Centre on Wednesday evening
Three days after a speeding Volkswagen Beetle claimed the life of three and left four others injured in Dhanas, Chandigarh police on Saturday arrested the main accused behind the wheel on Saturday evening.
The accused was identified as Paramveer Singh (19) of Panchkula. A total of three victims have succumbed to injuries to date after the speeding car first rammed into a motorcycle before hitting people present on the roadside near the Dhanas Community Centre on Wednesday evening.
The car with Punjab registration number (PB23-J-0001) is in the name of Kamaljit Singh, the father of the accused, who is one of the directors of a mall in Zirakpur.
“We have arrested the accused, and he will be produced in the court tomorrow. We have gathered enough CCTV footage of the route followed by the car on the day of the accident to establish that Paramveer was driving the vehicle. CCTV footage at many places, including in Sector 38, captured the suspect driving alone”, a senior police officer confirmed.
“We are yet to identify the girl with the accused who was present in the car. We will also ascertain from where she boarded the car prior to the accident,” the official said.
Earlier in the day, police had initiated proceedings of issuing a lookout circular (LOC) against the accused. As per the sources, the accused and his family members, who live in Sector 21 of Panchkula, were on the run.
Accused took first aid in Sector 34 hospital
According to the sources, the accused suffered minor injuries in the accident and was taken to Healing Hospital in Sector 34 by his uncle. They entered the hospital around 7:10 pm and stayed there for around 45 minutes before the accused went underground.
Three victims, including Rajwanti, Mustafa Ansari, and Bimlesh succumbed to their injuries at PGIMER. Four victims are still in hospital.
Police had registered an FIR under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against an unknown person. If proven, the charge is punishable with imprisonment for life or imprisonment of up to 10 years.
Earlier speaking to HT, Kamaljit’s brother said while the accused was present in the car, it was being driven by a driver who fled the spot after the accident.
On the other hand, people present at the spot claimed that there were two people in the car, including a woman. Video clips uploaded on social media by the onlookers from the accident site show that amid victims’ cries for help, a woman, wearing blue and black clothes, rushed towards the car and took out a bag from the navigator side of the car and ran away.
