LUCKNOW: Bigg Boss 17 contestant and YouTuber Anuraag Dobhal got severely injured after crashing his car into a divider on the Delhi-Dehradun highway while driving at 140 kmph.
As per the police sources, the accident took place near Hawa Hawai restaurant under Masuri police station area on Saturday. The incident was captured on a social media live where Dobhal told ‘goodbye’ to thousands of followers before smashing his car into a barrier. The influencer was immediately rushed to the hospital and admitted to the ICU. He is currently admitted to the ICU and recovering from the injuries in a Delhi hospital.
The police sources said that when Anuraag Dobhal, popularly known as UK07 Rider, was critically injured in a car crash on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway in Ghaziabad, a friend and follower of the social media influencer rescued him from the mangled SUV.
Police have said that a friend and follower of the influencer reached the spot before the police and initially rushed him to a nearby hospital in Meerut from where he was taken to Delhi.
According to the UP Police, Anurag was heading towards Delhi from Meerut when his SUV crashed near the Hawa Hawai Aeroplane Restaurant and went to the opposite lane.
According to Ajay Kumar, station house officer, Masuri police station, the crash was so severe that his car was mangled and the wheels came off. The police received information about the incident on the emergency helpline number 112 from his friends.
According to Surendra Nath Tiwari, deputy commissioner of police, Ghaziabad (Rural), they received information about the incident on the emergency helpline number from his friends. By the time police reached the spot, his friends had already rushed him to the nearest hospital. Police also said one of his friends and social media follower, Ashish Chaudhary from Mehrauli, was the first one to reach the spot.
Ashish, while talking to media persons, said that he came after watching the live video on social media. "I am familiar with the DME. My friends and I rushed to the spot and rescued him from the mangled SUV. Locals also helped us at the spot,” he said.
The influencer was later referred to another hospital in Delhi and was in a stable condition, officials said adding that the exact reason behind the incident would be ascertained after recording the victim’s and his family members’ statements. A resident of Dehradun, Anurag, told his viewers he felt completely alone and had no one left to call during his Instagram live. He was seen driving his SUV on the Delhi–Meerut Expressway, with the speedometer showing 140-150 kmph. Multiple clips of the live also went viral, showing the influencer being emotional and turning the steering sharply. Police said that based in primary investigation, it is suspected to be a case of attempted suicide, adding that further investigation was still on to ascertain the exact cause.