NEW DELHI: A day after a BMW car hit and killed a senior finance ministry official in Dhaula Kuan, a 38-year-old Gurugram-based woman was arrested and booked on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and causing disappearance of evidence on Monday. She was produced before a Delhi court, which sent her to two-day judicial custody.
The woman has been identified by cops as Gaganpreet Makkar, who was driving the BMW at the time of the accident. Her husband, two children, and a domestic help were also in the car. She claimed to have a valid driving licence.
The victim, Navjot Singh, 52, was posted as deputy secretary in the finance ministry. He and his wife, Sandeep Kaur, 50, residents of Pratap Nagar in west Delhi, were at Bangla Sahib Gurdwara around 12:30 pm. They later went on their two-wheeler to RK Puram for lunch.
According to the FIR, Singh was killed when the BMW rammed into his motorcycle on Ring Road at around 1.30 pm on Sunday. His wife, Sandeep Kaur, sustained multiple injuries and a fracture and remains under treatment.
Police said they received the call about traffic congestion on the Dhaula Kuan stretch around 2.20 pm. ADCP (South-West) Abhimanyu Poswal said that police teams rushed to the spot, inspected the site, and checked CCTV footage. Around 4.20 pm, a call was received from a hospital in GTB Nagar about an accident case, he added.
Meanwhile, Singh’s father, a retired IAF officer, stated, “My wife and I were on the terrace when we saw him going to the gurdwara and waved.” He questioned why his son was taken to a hospital 20 km away in GTB Nagar when RR Hospital and RML Hospital were nearby.
“It is basic that when an accident takes place, the victims are taken to a nearby hospital for first-aid. But they took them to a facility that is far away. Later, we shifted my daughter-in-law to Venkateshwar Hospital,” he said.
The victim’s wife, a school teacher, said that she repeatedly pleaded with Gaganpreet and her husband to take them to a nearby hospital for first -aid, but to no avail.
Police said when they asked Gaganpreet why the victim was taken to a hospital 20km away from the accident spot, she told them that she panicked and took them to GTB Hospital because her children had been admitted there during Covid. Police are verifying her statements.
Eyewitness Mohammad Gulfam, a van driver, said that the BMW hit a divider and overturned. “I saw that the BMW hit a divider and turned upside down. I saw some people lying on the road, and their condition was bad. I took the victims (Singh and Kaur) in my van. Suddenly, a woman sat in my car and asked me to take the van to Azadpur. I took them to a hospital in GTB Nagar,” he said.
1. Govt official fatally struck
A govt official was killed after a BMW hit his bike near Delhi Cantonment metro station on Sunday, police said
2. Victim taken to hospital 20 km away
After the accident, the victim, Navjot Singh (52), was taken to a hospital 20 km away, raising serious questions
3. Accused charged with homicide
The BMW driver was charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder and evidence tampering