Two dead after car falls into open drain on Pataudi Road

Preet Pal Sangwan, assistant commissioner of police (crime), said that the men were driving from Pataudi village to Gurugram.

Two men allegedly drowned after their car fell into an open drain near Gadoli village on Pataudi Road early Monday. Police said they suspect that a speeding car rammed into the victims’ car, following which they lost control of the vehicle and the car fell into an open drain.

(Representational image)

Preet Pal Sangwan, assistant commissioner of police (crime), said that the men were driving from Pataudi village to Gurugram. “When they reached near the culvert constructed over Najafgarh drain in Gadoli village, they lost control of the vehicle and the car fell into the drain, which was around 5-7 feet deep. The electronic system of the car malfunctioned and all the doors of the car got autolocked, and both men got stuck inside the car,” he said.

Police said the autopsy report revealed that the death was due to drowning.

According to the police, the incident took place around 2.45am on Monday, when the victims, identified as Keshav Kumar (24) of Pathera village and Dharamvir Singh (29) of Dhanoda village of Mahendragarh, were on their way to Gurugram via Pataudi Road.

Sangwan said passersby informed the police control room, following which a team from Sector 10 police station went to the spot. By the time a police team called the crane to fish out the car, both the men had drowned. “They were taken to Sector 10 Civil hospital where doctors declared them dead on arrival. The body was handed over to the family after an autopsy,” he said.

Police said the culvert where the accident took place is narrow and devoid of any protective wall on its sides.

Sangwan said the Public Works Department (PWD) is responsible for the fencing of the drains but nothing has been done which is a safety hazard. “There have been similar incidents in the past in other parts of the city and we wrote to the agency but to no avail. We will again write to them to inspect the area and take necessary action for the safety of the commuters,”he said.

The PWD did not respond to request for comment.

Police said they are yet to get the technical report from the automobile agency explaining how the car doors got locked and windows could not be opened, potentially allowing the men to save their lives.

“We have received footage from six CCTV cameras and can see a few speeding vehicles crossing that stretch but we are suspecting one car rammed into the victims’ car, which was damaged in the front. We are trying to get the registration number of the car based on which we will question the owner and check the condition of the car,” Sangwan said.

Police said that area has multiple CCTV cameras installed by private individuals, besides CCTV cameras installed by the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority.

A case has been registered against unknown persons under sections 379 (rash driving) and 304A (death in accident) of the Indian Penal Code at Sector 10 police station.