Gurugram Cyber City accident: Car owner arrested, released on bail

The car was being driven by a minor when it hit a motorcycle, killing the rider.

The police on Saturday arrested a 50-year-old Gurugram businessman, owner of the vehicle that was allegedly driven by a minor that crashed into a motorcycle and killed its 49-year-old rider on August 23 in Cyber City area of the millennial city.

The car was being driven by a minor, who hit a motorcycle near DLF Phase 2 while returning from a party at a friend’s place. (Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

Police said the minor had taken the car to return home from his friend’s party that day. The arrested businessman is the father of the friend and allegedly allowed the minor to take the car.

Chander Mohan, deputy commissioner of police (east), said that the accused was booked under section 5 of Motor Vehicle Act as he gave his car to a juvenile despite knowing he was a minor and had no licence. “As the offence is bailable, he was granted bail,” he said. The suspect did not respond to messages and calls.

On August 26, police had added sections 184 (driving dangerously) and 185 (for drink driving) of the Motor Vehicles Act to the FIR as the minor was allegedly inebriated while driving and had allegedly confessed this to police.

Police said the minor and his parents joined the investigation and will be produced before the juvenile justice board (JJB) and court while police files the challan.

Police said they have followed the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court in the case of Arnesh Kumar of 2014 where it was directed that in offences involving punishment up to seven years’ imprisonment the police may resort to the extreme step of arrest only when the same is necessary and the applicant does not cooperate in the investigation.

Mohan said the minor’s family was cooperating. “If not, then they would have been arrested. The offence is bailable so we have not apprehend the juvenile and have given direction to parents not to allow him to travel abroad or outstation without informing us. We will send him for counselling to child welfare committee once his injuries are healed,” he said.

The motorcyclist, Alok Gupta, was on his way to Jewar in Greater Noida on Sunday morning, when the accident happened near Belvedere Towers in DLF Phase-2 and he died on the spot. He was accompanied by a friend, who was following him in another bike who took him and two minors in the vehicle to a private hospital in an ambulance.