Two men arrested for alleged drunk driving that killed 2, injured 7 in Delhi

Two drunk men took their out-of-town employer’s car for a joyride, hit two cars and a signboard, ran over a bunch of people standing near a pavement, and finally came to a rest after hitting a boundary wall, killing two people, including a 12-year-old boy, and injuring at least seven others, some seriously.

The accident happened in Palam Marg, between Vasant Vihar and RK Puram, near the popular Malai Mandir, around 7.30pm on Wednesday, a public holiday on account of the Holi festival. Both men, one a driver and another a cook, have been arrested.

The vehicle involved in the accident,a Mahindra Thar belongs to an investment banking analyst , Achin Sethi. His driver Ajay Kumar Yadav,39, and cook Chij Bahadur,40 took a ride in the SUV after drinking. Sethi was in Rajasthan’s Udaipur attending a wedding, said deputy commissioner of police (southwest) Manoj C.

“The two fled the mishap spot leaving the damaged SUV behind. Both were later found and arrested. Apart from booking them for rash and negligent driving causing death under Indian Penal Code’s sections 279 and 304A, we have also added IPC’s section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) in the first information report (FIR) that was registered at the Vasant Vihar police station,” he added.

The two men are accusing each other of being behind the wheel. “As of now, we suspect that it was Yadav who was driving the vehicle rashly and negligently and under the influence of liquor,” Manoj said.

A senior police office familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity that preliminary investigations have shown that Yadav and Bahadur celebrated Holi with other people and consumed liquor. Since their employer was out of Delhi with his family and they had access to the SUV’s keys, they decided to go on a joyride, this person added.

“Nearly 100 metres ahead of Malai Temple, the speeding Thar hit a red Hyundai Xcent car from behind. The impact was so powerful that the Xcent driver lost control and the vehicle crashed into an electric lamp post installed on the central verge of Palam Marg.”

But the duo were not done yet.

After hitting the car, the Thar’s driver panicked and tried to flee by reversing . However, while reversing the Thar it crashed into an iron pole supporting a signboard, uprooting it and causing it to fall on the road, the officer said.

“The rear portion of the Thar was badly damaged due to the crash, and this panicked its driver further. The driver took a sudden left turn to flee and accelerated the vehicle. He lost control of the SUV and crashed into a Maruti Suzuki Ciaz car. The Thar’s direction changed, and it moved towards its left, where some people and children were selling fruits and vegetables on push carts near the pavement. The SUV hit three carts and ran over at least eight people standing behind them, and a passerby, injuring all of them,” the officer added.

Eyewitnesses claimed that after hitting the two cars, the three carts and nine people, the SUV climbed onto the pavement and crashed into a boundary wall of a drain . They said the scene was horrific with most of the injured being children.

“We heard a loud sound and rushed to the main road, where men and children were screaming for help. At least two children and a man were under the Thar. We pulled them out and they were rushed to a hospital. A man and a boy died,” said Mamta Devi, who runs a vegetable shop near the spot.

Those died were identified as Munna Kumar Mahto, 23-year-old native of Chhapra in Bihar, and Sameer Khan,12, son of a fruit seller, Bhure Khan,40, who was also injured along with his two daughters, Suhana,10, and Ilma,8, and two nephews, Sijra,7, and Sohail,15. They identified the other two injured persons as Arif and Arun, both fruit sellers .

Also read: Father in hospital, family yet to tell him of boy’s death

Another senior police officer said that the occupants of the Thar fled but one left an ID card in the vehicle. The police traced them. The two were later caught and arrested.

“We first checked with the Thar’s owner, Achin Sethi, to ascertain who was driving the vehicle. Sethi claimed that he was in Udaipur for a wedding with his family. To verify his claims, he sent us his live location, the wedding invitation card, and made us speak with some people who were with him at Udaipur. We verified his claims through technical and manual means as well,”said the second officer.

Mahto’s elder brother, Sunil Mahto, said his brother was married four years ago and worked at a grocery shop in RK Puram . He is survived by his wife, one-year-old daughter and mother .

“My brother was returning to his room from a salon, where he had gone for a shave. He was walking along the footpath, when the Thar ran over him and claimed his life. I was in Lucknow when a relative informed me about the accident,” said Sunil Mahto.

According to the police, five people lost their lives and eight others were injured in 12 road mishaps reported on Wednesday, when Holi was celebrated across India. In 2022, 10 deaths and injuries to 25 people were reported in 26 such accidents.