Taxi on fire: Cabbie always kept an extinguisher and stick at hand

Delhi: A 36-year-old cab driver burnt to death in northeast Delhi’s Mandoli on Tuesday night after a Tata Indigo car he was driving suddenly caught fire on Wazirabad Road as people watched and took videos.

The family members of Sachin Tyagi, the 36-year-old cabbie who burnt to death near Mandoli jail, said the driver always carried a fire extinguisher in his car.

The remains of the car.

“He also always kept a thick stick next to his seat, just so that he could break open a car’s windows in case of a fire. On Tuesday night, he couldn’t use either the extinguisher or the stick when his car actually caught fire,” rued Tyagi’s cousin brother, Aadesh.

Tyagi’s family recounted a number of previous instances when he immediately halted his vehicle at the faintest smell of smoke.

“Once he stopped his car to check even when we knew that the smoke was coming from objects that burnt outside the vehicle. He opened the car’s hood and ensured everything was fine before driving again,” said Tyagi’s mother, Sudesh.

“He had called to say he will be home in 5 minutes. Instead, it was some policeman who knocked at our doors to tell us about the incident,” said Sudesh.

Tyagi’s family still don’t know how to break the news to his wife, Mamta, his 12-year-old son and nine-year-old daughter. “The family of five has lost their only breadwinner. We have only told them that Tyagi has been hospitalized with burns,” said Aadesh.

The driver’s mother also alleged that though Tyagi had no enmity with anyone, he had received a threat call from an unknown number two-three days ago. They do not, however, suspect foul play.