E-Paper
Ludhiana: Driver dies two weeks after ‘inhaling chemical’
The deceased, Pawan Kumar alias Mitthu, a native of Darbhanga district in Bihar, had been working with a company at Transport Nagar for the past 12 years
A 36-year-old truck driver died on Tuesday, nearly two weeks after he was allegedly exposed to a chemical sprayed inside his parked truck during an attempted theft at Shiv Chowk. Police said the men, booked in the case, will now face additional charges following his death.
The deceased, Pawan Kumar alias Mitthu, a native of Darbhanga district in Bihar, had been working with a company at Transport Nagar for the past 12 years. He had been undergoing treatment at a private hospital since the incident on July 23 and succumbed to his injuries on August 5.
According to the complaint lodged by his colleague, Gurpreet Singh, alias Jaipi, the two drivers had parked their trucks near Shiv Chowk and were resting for the night. When the fan in Gurpreet’s truck stopped working, he shifted to Pawan’s vehicle to sleep.
Gurpreet alleged that two men entered the truck with the intention of stealing valuables and when he woke up he saw one of them allegedly trying to remove his mobile phone from his pocket, prompting both suspects to flee.
The complainant further alleged that the accused had sprayed a chemical inside the truck cabin to render its occupants unconscious. While Gurpreet regained consciousness after some time, Pawan remained unconscious and was rushed to a private hospital, where he remained under treatment until his death.
During the investigation, police examined CCTV footage and questioned witnesses before identifying the accused as Sagar and Shankar Sahota, both residents of Tajpur Road. A case has been registered against them.
Investigating officer ASI Sethi Kumar said the FIR was initially registered under Sections 123 (causing hurt by means of poison, stupefying, intoxicating or unwholesome substance with intent to commit an offence) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Following Pawan’s death, police will add the appropriate provisions after completing the medico-legal formalities and post-mortem examination.
