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Ludhiana: Onlookers take away cold drink bottles after truck-tempo mishap
Accused of hitting truck from behind, tempo driver absconding; probe on, say police; truck driver says he was transporting the consignment from Hoshiarpur and had to unload it a short distance from the mishap site
A road accident on the Southern Bypass on Sunday took an unexpected turn after bystanders allegedly began taking away water bottles and cold drink cans spilled from a damaged truck instead of helping the driver.
The incident occurred when a tempo rammed into a truck carrying water bottles and cold drink from behind. The impact was strong enough to scatter crates across the road, briefly disrupting traffic in the area. The tempo driver fled the scene soon after the collision.
Truck driver Ranjit Singh said he was transporting the consignment from Hoshiarpur and had to unload it a short distance from the mishap site. “The tempo hit my vehicle from behind, and the crates fell onto the road. Before I could gather them, people started taking away bottles,” he said.
Eyewitnesses reported that several individuals loaded crates onto their two-wheelers and left the scene. The driver claimed he repeatedly urged people to stop, but many ignored his requests.
Expressing disappointment, Singh said people are generally known for helping others in distress. “If someone cannot help, he should at least not add to the loss,” he remarked.
Traffic movement was affected for some time due to the scattered goods but was later restored.
Sarabha Nagar police officials, who were yet to register FIR at the time of filing of this report, said they were investigating the matter and trying to identify the absconding tempo driver.
