76-year-old woman hit by SUV in Noida high-rise society dies, driver booked

The SUV driver, 40, a resident of the same society, had driven Krishna Narang to a private hospital in Sector 27, where she died while receiving treatment

A day after a 76-year-old woman was killed after being hit by a car inside a high-rise residential society in Noida, the driver was booked on charges of rash driving and culpable homicide on Thursday, police officers said on Friday.

The Mahagun Moderne society at Sector 78 in Noida. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

Krishna Narang, who lived in the Mahagun Moderne society in Sector 78 with her family, was crossing a road inside the gated society on Wednesday night when she was hit by an SUV (sports utility vehicle) exiting the society’s basement parking.

The SUV driver, 40, a resident of the same society, drove Narang to a private hospital in Sector 27, where she died while receiving treatment.

The incident was captured in the society’s CCTV cameras.

Kushal Kumar, a security supervisor of the society, was one of the two security personnel who accompanied Narang and the driver to the hospital. “Our seniors informed us that an accident had occurred, and a female guard and I were asked to accompany the driver to the hospital to take the injured woman. She had suffered injuries on her head and legs,” said Kumar.

“Police received information about the incident late Wednesday night. Narang’s family members refused to file a police complaint and denied permission for an autopsy,” said Sarvesh Kumar, station house officer of the Sector 113 police station.

The family cremated Narang the next day, SHO Kumar added.

A first information report (FIR) was registered on Thursday evening based on a complaint filed by Kushal Kumar, according to Shakti Avasthy, additional deputy commissioner of police, Noida.

“An FIR has been filed against the SUV driver under Indian Penal Code sections 279 (driving a vehicle negligently), 338 (causing grievous hurt due to negligence), and 304A (causing death by negligence), based on CCTV footage and the death certificate, which states the cause of death as injuries caused by the accident. The SUV driver has been served with a summons to appear before a police officer because the charges are bailable,” said Avasthy.

The SUV driver did not respond to requests for comment.

Representatives of the society’s apartment owner’s association (AOA) said several signboards cautioning about the 10kmph speed limit have been erected across the premises. “Aside from the signboards, multiple speed breakers and rumble strips are on the road. Still, it appears that the SUV was speeding when it hit the woman,” said Parul Tomar, president of the AOA.

She added that as a result of the incident, the AOA has decided to install boom barriers at exit points of the basement parking and increase the number of security guards.

The accident has left residents concerned about the safety of pedestrians inside gated societies.

Rajiva Singh, president of the Noida federation of apartment owner’s association (NOFAA), an umbrella body of more than 70 high-rise AOAs, said AOAs should be empowered to impose penalties for speeding vehicles inside the society.

“Smaller versions of radar speed guns for monitoring speeding vehicles can be installed inside societies to make them safer,” said Singh.