21-year-old held as speeding Honda kills 2, injures 1

A student driving a Honda City in an inebriated state knocked down and killed two people on a morning walk and critically injured another in Janakpuri on Monday.

Twenty-one-year-old driver Rishabh was arrested on the spot by a patrolling PCR van at Shiv Nagar in Janakpuri.

According to eyewitnesses, a grey Honda City at 6 am hit Kameshwar Prasad (40), who was employed with IT ministry, when he was out on a morning walk in the locality. He was dragged on the bonnet of the speeding car for nearly 40 metres, when the driver applied the brakes and the victim fell off the bonnet and hit a tree.

“The victim collapsed after he fell off the bonnet and his head hit a tree. The driver then took a left turn and fled from the spot. Then, he hit a man who was cleaning cars in the locality,” said Sanjay Singh, an eyewitness.

The man continued driving the car for another 500 metres and took another left turn. He drove in the wrong lane for a few metres when he hit two senior citizens, also out on a morning walk. Neighbours Ashwini Anand (67) and Vinod Mehta were hit by the car from front. Ashwini succumbed to his injuries during treatment, but Vinod Mehta had a miraculous escape.

Santosh (40), a car cleaner, was critically injured in the accident and admitted to a hospital. He was not in the condition to give any statement. Other two victims succumbed to their injuries during treatment at a local hospital.

After hitting the two senior citizens, the driver drove on, creating chaos on the road. A PCR van patrolling in the area witnessed the accident. After a chase of a few metres, the PCR staff intercepted the car. The driver was detained and taken to the Janakpuri police station. His car also was impounded. “When the police detained the car driver, he was in drunken state. He was fumbling and could not walk,” said another eyewitness.

The family members of the victims were informed about the accidents and on their complaints, a case was filed against the car driver under IPC Section 304. “Rishabh had attended a party at the residence of his friend, who also lives in Janakpuri. He was on his way home in an inebriated state when he hit three pedestrians at different places in Janakpuri around 6.30 am,” said DCP Pushpendra Kumar.