Dehradun hit-and-run: How broken Mercedes parts and CCTV helped police arrest accused

Four people were killed, and two others were injured after a Mercedes hit them near Uttaranchal Hospital, Katyal on Wednesday night

Published on: Mar 14, 2025, 17:19:38 IST

By HT News Desk

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Police arrested the main accused in the Dehradun hit-and-run case within 24 hours on Thursday. Four labourers walking on the road were killed, and two more people were injured when a Mercedes SUV hit them near Uttaranchal Hospital, Katyal.

The accused was driving back from Dehradun after a joy ride with his 12-year-old nephew. (X/Uttarakhandpolice)

The accused driver, Vansh Katyal (22), was arrested near ISBT when he was returning from Delhi to Dehradun. During the accident, he was allegedly driving his brother-in-law's Mercedes car with his 12-year-old nephew.

Katyal allegedly borrowed the car for a joyride to Dehradun, and the accident happened when he was returning home, NDTV reported. He fled the spot after arranging a two-wheeler for his nephew.

Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Singh explained how the accused was traced using CCTV visuals from a restaurant and broken Mercedes parts.

The police formed multiple teams to search for the accused after the accident was reported on Wednesday. Recorded footage from the automated vehicle number plate recognition cameras helped police find that the car was registered in Chandigarh.

The SSP said police recovered broken car parts from the accident scene and checked with a showroom to find that it was a Mercedes Benz-GLS 400, serviced there in November last year. Later, the SUV was found abandoned in a remote plot.

Police also contacted Chandigarh authorities and found that the car's owner was Jatin Varma, Kaytal's brother-in-law. Varma informed the police that Kaytal had borrowed his vehicle for a joy ride to Dehradun.

Later, police confirmed their findings with CCTV footage from a restaurant near the accident site.

The deceased were identified as Mansharam (30) and Ranjit (35), residents of Baba Bazar in the Ayodhya district of Uttar Pradesh, Balkaran (40) of Jagjitpur in Barabanki and Durgesh, a resident of Faizabad. All the deceased were working with a contractor named Shivam and were living in the Kathbangla river area.

The injured – Dhaniram and Mohammad Shakib – were out of danger after receiving treatment at the hospital.

(With PTI inputs)

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