Four of a family killed after being hit and dragged by SUV in Lucknow

Scooty struck by SUV ; the accused, a property dealer, consumed alcohol after office hours and was driving back home in an inebriated state when the incident happened. He was arrested later with the help of CCTV footage

LUCKNOW Four members of a family, including two children, were killed in the wee hours of Wednesday after being struck and dragged by an overspeeding SUV for 100 metres near the Gulachin temple at Kursi road in Vikas Nagar area of Lucknow, said police.

The SUV allegedly hit the scooty, after which the couple and their two children got stuck under the car. (Pic for representation)

The accused, a property dealer, had consumed alcohol after office hours and was driving back home in an inebriated state when the incident happened. He was arrested on Wednesday afternoon with the help of CCTV footage.

The deceased were identified as Ram Singh, 35, his wife Gyan Devi, 32, and their two children - Raj Sharma, 13, and Ansh Sharma, 8 – hailing from Sitapur. After the accident, they were taken to the Trauma Centre at King George’s Medical University (KGMU) where they were declared dead by doctors.

The SUV allegedly hit the scooty, after which the couple and their two children got stuck under the car. But, the car driver didn’t stop the vehicle and the victims were dragged for around 100 metres, said police.

The cops identified the victims with the help of the scooty’s registration number and mobile phone numbers, said inspector Shivanand Mishra of Vikas Nagar police station.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the loss of lives in the accident. A tweet in Hindi from the CM office read: “CM Yogi has expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives in the road accident in Lucknow. Wishing peace to the souls of the departed…the CM has expressed condolences to the bereaved families.”

On the complaint of Manish Singh, the deceased’s brother, an FIR was registered against the driver of the vehicle under IPC sections 304, 279 and 427 at the Vikas Nagar police station, said Quasim Abidi, DCP (North).

“The accused Rajendra Pal, 35, a property dealer whose office is in BKT area, was arrested from Mama Chauraha in Aliganj with the help of CCTV footage and has been sent to judicial custody. He is a resident of Talkatora-Rajajipuram,” he said.

“The four people were returning from Aliganj Purana Hanuman Mandir. Ram Singh was working in a tent house in Aliganj for the last 12 years and used to live here with his family. We were in Sitapur when we were informed about the accident by the police,” said Ram Singh’s brother.