4-year-old mowed down by e-rickshaw in SW Delhi; driver held

Police traced the accused from a nearby charging station and seized the e-rickshaw. Case filed for rash driving and causing death by negligence.

A four-year-old boy died after being run over by a speeding e-rickshaw in Delhi’s Chhawla area last week, police said on Wednesday, adding that a 25-year-old driver has been arrested and booked for causing death by negligence and rash driving.

The victim was waiting with his mother outside Lawrence Model Public School to pick up his sister when the vehicle hit him. He died at IG Hospital in Dwarka. (Getty Images)

According to police, the incident took place on February 3 at 2pm when the child, Aarav Sharma, was waiting with his mother outside Lawrence Model Public School to pick up his elder sister, a Class II student. The mother and son were standing on the other side of the road when a speeding e-rickshaw came from behind and hit the boy, officers said. The driver allegedly did not stop and ran over the child before fleeing, they added quoting the complaint.

A senior police officer said, “The family complained that the accused driver did not stop despite seeing the child falling on the road because of the collision. The boy was rushed to IG Hospital in Dwarka by his family members. He died during the treatment.”

The victim, a resident of Dwarka, suffered severe injuries to his chest and head and is survived by his parents and elder sister, police said. His mother, Jaanki Sharma, told police she would take Aarav daily to pick up her daughter Aarya Sharma from school. “I was waiting on the other side of the road. Aarya was about to come out. An e-rickshaw came towards us. The driver was driving in a reckless manner. Before I could do anything, he hit my son and then ran over him. He escaped as I cried and tried to get help for my son,” she said told the police.

Police said the e-rickshaw often operated in the area after school hours and the driver was identified through inputs from people at a nearby charging station. “On Tuesday, we managed to identify the accused. The accused, Deepanshu Kumar, was held from his residence in Goyala Dairy. His e-rickshaw was also seized,” the officer said.