Techie returning from his wedding rams Mercedes into pedestrians in Delhi's Vasant Kunj; 1 killed

The 29-year-old accused lives in Karol Bagh and had borrowed his friend’s car for his wedding reception.

A 23-year-old man was killed and two others were injured on Sunday after a speeding Mercedes, driven by a man returning from his own wedding event, hit them near Ambience Mall in Vasant Kunj.

The incident happened near Ambience Mall in Vasant Kunj, on Sunday. (Arvind Yadav/HT Photo)

The driver of the car, identified as Shivam Arora, has been arrested, police said. He works as a software engineer in an American multinational technology company. Arora has undergone medical examination for intoxication and, police said, they did not find any alcohol in his blood. The 29-year-old lives in Karol Bagh and had borrowed his friend’s car for his wedding reception.

Police identified the deceased as Rohit Singh, a chef at the Ambience Mall branch of Paul, a French chain of bakery-café restaurants. He succumbed to his injuries during treatment later on Sunday.

His friends, the other two victims, identified only as Kapil (35) and Lalit (25), are undergoing treatment at different hospitals in Delhi. They are also employees of Paul.

DCP (southwest) Amit Goel said, “There were three injured persons aged around 25, 35 and 23. All of them work at a restaurant in Ambience Mall. They were rushed to a hospital where one of them, Singh (23), died during treatment. He was a resident of Uttarakhand’s Chamoli.”

The road outside the mall leads in two directions — one towards Munirka and the other to a U-turn. Police said the Mercedes was coming from a hotel in Vasant Kunj at great speed. It hit the divider, lost balance, and drove into the sidewalk where it hit the three men who were waiting for an autorickshaw, before crashing into pole.

According to the police, a PCR call was received at 2:33 am about the accident on Nelson Mandela Marg.

Another officer, on condition of anonymity said, “At the time of the incident, he was driving the car along with his wife and elder brother. As per preliminary enquiry, the vehicle lost balance due to a diversion, resulting in the car hitting a pole where the three victims were standing at an auto stand. The family was returning home after attending the wedding reception” said another officer.

Police said Arora has been arrested and booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 106 (causing death by negligence), 125 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 281 (rash driving or riding on a public way).

They are also questioning the accused and trying to get statements of the other two injured.

Singh’s family are on their way from Chamoli to Delhi. They said Singh, the sole breadwinner of his family, lived in Munirka at a rented room

His uncle, Balwant, told HT, “He was the sole breadwinner of his family. His parents are yet to reach Delhi. His mother is in shock. He was very hardworking and worked as a chef. We didn’t know this would happen. We last spoke to him last week. He had promised to take leave and come visit us. Now, what will I tell his parents? We want action against the driver. Our son was standing near footpath, waiting for auto. What was his fault?”