Noida: Woman pillion rider dies as car hits bike on wrong side on NH-9

The collision was so intense that pillion riding Monika, who was not wearing a helmet, suffered grievous head injuries and was flung into the middle of the three lanes

Noida: A 25-year-old woman died and her husband was injured early Monday morning when a Tata Tiago car allegedly collided head-on with their motorcycle that was being driven on the wrong side of NH9 near Sector 63, Noida, police said, adding that they have arrested the car driver who had fled the scene.

The incident led to massive traffic congestion on NH9 (towards Delhi) and Noida’s internal roads, as the victim’s family refused to allow police to remove the body from the main carriageway of NH9, demanding immediate arrest of the suspect. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

The incident led to massive traffic congestion on NH9 (towards Delhi) and Noida’s internal roads, as the victim’s family refused to allow police to remove the body from the main carriageway of NH9, demanding immediate arrest of the suspect Tiago driver, officers said, adding that traffic on the six-laned Delhi-Meerut Expressway, however, was unaffected.

Police identified the deceased as Monika (single name),25, and her husband as Anuj Kumar, a resident of Chotpur Colony in Chhajarsi, Sector 63, Noida.

“On Monday around 6am, Anuj and his wife Monika were headed to Shri Dudheshwar Nath Mahadev Temple in Madhopura, Ghaziabad on a motorbike. On approaching NH-9 at SJM Hospital cut, Anuj turned the bike on the wrong side to avoid a longer route just when a black Tiago car, heading towards Delhi collided head-on with their bike,” said a police officer part of the investigation, requesting anonymity.

“The collision was so intense that pillion riding Monika, who was not wearing a helmet, suffered grievous head injuries and was flung into the middle of the three lanes. The Tiago also spun following the collision from front to back and blocked one lane of NH-9,” the officer added.

Police were alerted on the emergencyhelpline number by locals, and a team from Sector 63 police station rushed to the spot. Monika’s family also arrived shortly afterward.

“When we tried to remove Monika’s blood-soaked body from the main carriageway for post-mortem examination, her family stopped us and demanded immediate arrest of the Tiago driver, who had fled the scene leaving the vehicle behind,” the officer added.

The family protested and it led over three hours of congestion on NH-9 and internal roads in Noida’s Sector 63 and 62, as only one lane of NH9 was left for vehicular movement. “Upon receiving the information, additional traffic police personnel were deployed, and traffic from Sector 62 was briefly diverted,” said deputy commissioner of police (traffic, Noida) Lakhan Singh Yadav.

After counselling for hours, police managed to counsel Monika’s family members and remove her body, and both the damaged vehicles using cranes to ease the congestion. “We have arrested the Tiago driver, identified as Deepanshu Sharma, a resident of Kavi Nagar in Ghaziabad. His vehicle was also seized and it came to light that the bike was on the wrong-side,” said assistant commissioner of police (central Noida) Rajeev Kumar.

Police said Anuj, who suffered a fracture on his hand, is undergoing treatment at a private hospital. A case of causing death by negligence and rash driving was registered at the Sector 63 police station against the suspect car driver, and further investigation is underway.