Luxury car rams into auto at Savitri flyover in Delhi, two injured

Two injured as Lamborghini SUV hits autorickshaw on Savitri flyover in south Delhi. The car driver and a friend have been taken into custody.

Two people — an autorickshaw driver and his passenger — were injured after the three-wheeler they were travelling in was rammed by a speeding high-end luxury sports utility vehicle (SUV) at south Delhi’s Savitri flyover on Sunday morning, police officers aware of the case said, adding that two people have been taken into custody.

Police have taken the driver of the car into custody, though he has not been arrested yet. (HT Photo)

Police said the SUV was a yellow Lamborghini, though they did not identify which model it was. They said auto driver Shah Alam and his passenger Prince Gotam, an engineer with an airline at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport, suffered serious injuries and are undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Saket.

Deputy commissioner of police (south) Chandan Chowdhary said a case of rash and negligent driving causing hurt was registered at the Chittaranjan Park police station against the errant car driver, identified as Rajbir Sardaana, 21, resident of Panchsheel Enclave. He is also the owner of the car, she said.

Police said both vehicles have been seized for mechanical inspection to ascertain what led to the accident, and at what speed the SUV was travelling. They said they are also trying to ascertain if the driver was driving under the influence of alcohol.

Chowdhary said Saardaana and his friend Himanshu Batra, 26, a resident of Parmanand Colony, were taken into custody.

“The two are in our custody but we have not arrested them yet. We are waiting to record the statements of the two injured persons, including the auto driver. Further legal action would be taken accordingly. It was Sardaana who was driving the car when the mishap happened,” she said.

Police said three more people were in the car, but left before officers arrived at the scene of the accident.

Speaking to HT over the phone, Alam said he had picked up Gotam from near Nehru Place, and was to drop him at IGI airport. As the auto reached Savitri flyover, Alam said, it was hit from behind by the Lamborghini.

“After hitting my vehicle, the car driver lost control, and it crashed into the concrete railing of the flyover,” he said.

Alam also claimed that before the accident, a traffic policeman had been chasing the car, which led to the crash.

“I learnt that the car driver was driving at a high speed to avoid getting caught by a traffic policeman who was chasing the vehicle on a bike. The traffic policeman had also reached there along with a police van and caught two occupants of the car,” he said.

However, when asked about the allegation, Chowdhary said she had no information about any traffic policeman chasing the car.