SUV rams stationary truck on Mathura Road, 1 dead

Police said they are also probing why the truck was stationed on one of the busiest roads of the city and where its driver and helper were.

A 36-year-old man died after the SUV he was in rammed a stationary 14-wheeler truck on the Mathura Road near Sarita Vihar flyover in south Delhi early on Wednesday, police said.

mangled remains of the SUV that rammed a stationary truck on Mathura Road. (HT Photo)

According to police, Divyanshu Junejawas driving the vehicle at the time of the crash and there were a total three people in the car. Juneja — currently at large — has been booked for rash and negligent driving. Juneja’s age is currently not known.

An investigating officer said the deceased was identified as Satbir Singh, who was employed as a driver for a family in south Delhi’s Panchsheel Park in Hauz Khas. While Singh’s family alleged that Juneja is the employer’s son, police have not confirmed his profile yet.

Deputy commissioner of police (southeast) Hemant Tiwari said Sarita Vihar police station received a call at 2.20am about a fatal accident on Mathura Road. When a police team reached the spot, they found a truck with Nagaland registration number on the carriageway from Ashram Chowk towards Badarpur. A Jeep Meridian SUV bearing Uttar Pradesh’s registration number, with the front portion completely damaged, was found crashed into the rear portion of the truck

“In the collision, Singh, on the front passenger seat sustained injuries and died at a hospital. The third occupant of the car, Rajeev Sharma, is also a driver. It’s not clear if they were also injured,” the DCP added.

In a photograph circulating on social media, an empty alcohol bottle was found on a vehicle’s seat. However, HT could not independently verify if the photo was of the same SUV that was involved in the accident.

Police said they are also probing why the truck was stationed on one of the busiest roads of the city and where its driver and helper were.

Singh lived with his family at IP Extension in east Delhi. His brother, Deepak Yadav, told media that he last spoke to him around 10.30pm on Tuesday.

“My brother told me that he was returning home. He was on the way when his employer’s son, who recently came to India from Dubai, called him back and took him somewhere. Initially, my brother was driving the SUV but later Juneja took the wheel. I don’t know if he failed to see the stationary truck. He could either be inebriated or did not have enough experience to drive on roads in India,” added Yadav.