Businessman falls 30 feet to death after hit-and-run accident on NH-9 flyover

The car’s driver fled the scene, abandoning the damaged vehicle on the flyover and leaving Agarwal on the service road

A 49-year-old businessman died late Wednesday night after falling nearly 30 feet from the NH-9 flyover near West Vinod Nagar in east Delhi, when an allegedly speeding Honda City car hit his scooter, police said on Thursday.

The victim, identified as Rakesh Kumar Agarwal, a resident of Vasundhara Sector 11 in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, was thrown off the flyover and landed on the NH-24 service road below. (HT Photo)

The crash occurred on the NH-9 carriageway heading towards Ghaziabad from Sarai Kale Khan. The victim, identified as Rakesh Kumar Agarwal, a resident of Vasundhara Sector 11 in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, landed on the NH-24 service road below and sustained multiple fatal injuries. Police said Agarwal owned a disposable plates manufacturing factory in south Delhi’s Badarpur.

The car’s driver fled the scene, abandoning the damaged vehicle on the flyover and leaving Agarwal on the service road. It was unclear if other passengers were in the car at the time, police said.

A case of rash driving and causing death by negligence has been registered under sections 281 and 106 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Pandav Nagar police station. Investigators said the car is registered to Shakil Ahmed of Jamia Nagar, south Delhi, who is currently out of the city.

“It’s still unclear whether Ahmed himself or someone else was driving at the time,” an investigator said. “Once the driver is identified and arrested, we’ll conduct a medical examination to ascertain if the person was driving under the influence of alcohol.”

Deputy commissioner of police (east) Abhishek Dhania said at 12.03am Thursday, Pandav Nagar police received a call about the accident. “A police team reached the flyover and found a damaged Honda City and a scooter, both with Delhi registration numbers,” he said.

“The spot enquiry revealed that the allegedly speeding car hit the scooter from behind. The impact was such that the scooter rider was flung into the air and fell nearly 30 feet to the service road below,” said a police officer, who requested anonymity. “The injured scooter rider was shifted to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital by auto-rickshaw driver Amit Kumar, a Pandav Nagar resident, even before police arrived.”

DCP Dhania said Agarwal was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.

“Amit Kumar’s statement was recorded. He said that around midnight, while driving his auto on the NH-24 service lane towards Ghazipur, he saw a man falling from the flyover near Manglam Cut. Kumar stopped his three-wheeler and, with the help of bystanders, moved the injured man to the hospital, where he was declared dead,” DCP Dhania added.