Moradabad man, 22, arrested for running over 6, killing 4 in Dehradun: Police

Vansh Katyal, a resident of Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh, was nabbed from an inter-state bus terminal (ISBT) in Dehradun

Dehradun: A 22-year-old resident of Uttar Pradesh was arrested on Thursday for allegedly running over four labourers and injuring two others in Dehradun’s Rajpur area on Wednesday evening, police said.

The Mercedes was recovered from an empty plot in Dehradun’s Sahastradhara area

Vansh Katyal, a resident of UP’s Moradabad, was nabbed from an inter-state bus terminal (ISBT) in Dehradun, an officer said.

The Mercedes was recovered from an empty plot in Dehradun’s Sahastradhara area. “When the local people were asked about the vehicle, Mohit Malik, a resident of the area, told the police that Katyal, his acquaintance, had parked the Mercedes. Katyal told Malik that the vehicle had a technical fault and asked to borrow his scooty to drop his nephew to Jakhan. Afterward, Katyal returned the scooty and left,” Ajai Singh, senior superintendent of police (SSP) of Dehradun, said.

Katyal, who was driving the Mercedes, mowed down four labourers and hit a scooty near Sai Mandir in Rajpur. “All four labourers died on the spot, while two people on the scooty were injured. The deceased were identified as Mansharam (30) and Ranjit (35) from Ayodhya, Balkaran (40) from Jagjitpur Barabanki, and Durgesh, a resident of Goriya Rudauli, Faizabad district, the officer added.

Based on the complaint lodged by Sanjay Kumar, Mansharam’s uncle, a case was registered at the Rajpur police station. “My nephews—Mansharam and Ranjit—and two others who live nearby were returning home at 8.20 pm after collecting money on the occasion of Holi from a contractor. Mansharam was the only son of my brother,” Kumar said.

Police reviewed CCTV footage from the area to identify the Mercedes involved in the incident. “A total of 11 vehicles had passed the accident spot around the time of the incident, and one vehicle (CH-01-CN-0665, color silver-gray) was damaged on one side,” Singh said.

Singh added, “Investigations revealed the car was purchased by Harbir Automobiles in February 2023, then sold to Delhi-based dealer Vinny Autohub in June 2023. It was later transferred to another agency, Delhi Car Mall, from whom Lucknow resident Jatin Prasad Verma purchased the Mercedes in July 2024.”

Verma, who runs an organic farming business in Dehradun’s Jakhan area and often visited Dehradun for work told the cops that his brother-in-law, Katyal, had taken his Mercedes on Wednesday, Singh said.

During interrogation, the accused told the cops that he completed a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) and after losing his job in Delhi, he came to Dehradun in search of work and was living in a rented accommodation in Mohit Vihar, opposite Wadia Institute. “On Wednesday evening, he went for a walk towards Rajpur with his nephew in his brother-in-law’s Mercedes (number CH-01-CN-0665). While returning towards Jakhan, two scooters suddenly appeared in front of his car. He alleged that his car collided with the rear of one of the scooters, causing him to lose control and run over four people walking on the roadside,” Singh said.

An FIR (First Information Report) under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been registered, Singh added.