A joyous occasion turned grim for the Mattoo family in Gurugram when their only son, Sarthak Mattoo, died in a hit-and-run case two days before what would have been his 34th birthday. The incident occurred on the Rajokri highway in southwest Delhi as the victim was travelling from his residence in Gurugram to his Noida office for some work at 6:30 AM.
The victim's parents are now grieving the loss of their only son as the father demands strict action against the perpetrators- a pair of friends driving a Thar- who left the victim wounded after overtaking and hitting his motorcycle.
A helmet that couldn't save
Recalling the incident, Surender Mattoo, the victim's 66-year-old father recalled how he had purchased an expensive helmet for his son to ensure his safety while travelling. "I got him a very expensive helmet and made him promise that he would always wear it so he remained safe. He was wearing the helmet, yet it couldn't save him. Now what do I do?" the aggrieved father told news agency PTI.
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Despite all odds, the father remained persistent that his son would have been saved had the accused not left him stranded after the incident.
{{/usCountry}}Despite all odds, the father remained persistent that his son would have been saved had the accused not left him stranded after the incident.
{{/usCountry}}"By God's grace, his phone was unlocked. The man checked the call logs and called one of Sarthak's office colleagues. They then informed us. By the time we got to know, he had died," he added. "He could have been saved if the accused had not fled and had immediately taken him to the hospital."
He then recalled the couple's last interaction with their son before he left for work on that unfaithful morning. “We couldn't even see him in the morning because he left for work without waking us up,” he recalled. “His mother usually checks on him every morning. We realised he had already left because his bike wasn't there."
“She is inconsolable," he revealed, referring to the victim's aged mother. "She keeps asking me to bring our son back. What do I tell her? I can't do anything.”
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The family, belonging to the Kashmiri Pandit community, had flocked to Delhi back in 1984 in the hopes of building a better life.
"It had already been difficult for us to leave our home and come here. Now my only child has also been taken away from me. Mera jawan beta chhin liya (My young son has been snatched away from me)," Mattoo said.
“I expect nothing less than justice. I want the accused to be behind bars and not be granted bail immediately. I will move pillar to post to make sure my son gets justice.”
An early morning accident
As per police reports, Mattoo has been travelling to work in Noida early in the morning when the incident occurred. A PCR call was received at the Vasant Kunj police station about a Thar hitting a motorcycle. The victim was rushed to the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre in Vasant Kunj, where he was declared dead on arrival, as HT previously reported.
“During the investigation, we analysed multiple CCTV camera footage and mapped the route taken by the car. We traced the alleged offending vehicle, a Mahindra Thar, which was found to be registered in the name of a Bengaluru-based private company. We found that the SUV had been leased to Sagar Saha (29) who was employed with the company and posted in Bengaluru," Deputy Commissioner of Police (southwest) Amit Goel revealed.
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Cops then picked up Saha who revealed that his colleague, Apurv Singh, 30, of Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh was driving the vehicle at the time of the incident.
The vehicle has now been seized and Singh is now under police custody. A medical examination of the accused was conducted at Safdarjung hospital. A probe into the incident is currently underway.