Man killed after Thar rams into his bike in west Delhi

Police said that the victim had stopped on the roadside and parked his bike when the Thar hit the two-wheeler from behind

A 40-year-old man was killed after a Mahindra Thar allegedly rammed into his parked bike on the roadside around 1am in Moti Nagar, west Delhi on Saturday, police said, adding that the driver of the four-wheeler abandoned it and fled the scene. Police said that the victim had stopped on the roadside near a parked truck to make a phone call when the accident occurred.

Bechu Lal, the victim. (HT Photo)

The victim was identified as Bechu Lal, a Plaster of Paris contractor, and a resident of Prem Nagar, said deputy commissioner of police (west) Vichitra Veer. The suspect is a 24-year-old resident of Sudershan Park in Moti Nagar, who was going from Punjabi Bagh towards Shadipur, police said, adding that they have formed teams to arrest him.

“Our control room received a call around 1am about the accident. When we reached the spot, we found a damaged white Thar and a bike. Locals told us that they had taken the victim to a hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival. Preliminary probe revealed that the bike was hit by a Thar. The rider lost his life in the accident. The driver of the Thar ran from the spot leaving the vehicle behind,” said a senior police officer.

The victim was on his way to Acharya Bhikshu Hospital to meet a relative who was admitted there, said Shiv Kumar, the victim’s cousin. “But on the way, he got a call so he parked his bike on the roadside and started talking. That’s when the car rammed into him,” said Kumar.

CCTV footage of the incident showed that Lal was sitting on his parked bike when he was hit by the speeding Thar from behind. The impact flung Lal several metres away while the car rammed into a parked truck a few metres away. The impact pushed the parked truck into another parked truck in front of it.

Police said the suspect was with a woman at the time of the accident and that a bottle of Vodka and a few cold drink bottles were recovered from the Thar.

“The suspect runs a business of making flex boards in Kirti Nagar. We have formed teams to catch him. We don’t know whether he was drunk or not at the time and will ascertain this after we arrest him,” the officer added.

The victim lived with his 16-year-old son while four other children, his wife and parents lived in their village in Ghonda near Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh.

The victim’s sister, Kiran Devi, 30, said she wanted strict action to be taken against the accused. “Police said that CCTV footage of the accident showed that my brother’s bike was parked and the Thar hit it from behind. My brother has four children back in our village in Ghonda, what will happen to them?” said Devi.

Last Sunday, two men in their 30s were killed after a Thar ploughed into them before ramming into an electric pole near Talkatora Stadium on Mother Teresa Crescent Road near Chankyapuri . A man identified as Ashish Bachchas was arrested in connection with the incident. A bag full of drugs was also recovered from the vehicle, police said.