NEW DELHI: Six people, eating at a popular food stall, were injured after they were hit by a rash and recklessly driven Mercedes car in the north Delhi’s Civil Lines area, an official said on Tuesday. The victims were enjoying chaat at Fateh Kachori in Civil Lines when the offending vehicle crashed into the wall of the food joint, flinging several customers, showed a video footage circulated over social media.
The incident which occurred on Sunday was caught on camera and police registered a case under sections 279 (rash driving) and 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Civil Lines police station against the accused driver identified as Parag Maini, a resident of sector-79 in Noida.
According to police, on Sunday, a PCR call about an accident was received following which a team rushed to the scene near Fatehchand Kachori Shop on Rajpur Road, Civil Lines, Delhi, and found a white-coloured Mercedes car in a wrecked condition. The driver of the vehicle, Parag Maini, was also found present at the scene.
During the investigation, additional information about the same accident emerged from a hospital, reporting the admission of an injured person. “Subsequently, further information was received from another hospital, Tirath Ram Hospital, Civil Lines, indicating that five more persons were injured in the accident and were undergoing treatment there,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (north) MK Meena said, adding the offending vehicle has been seized, and the driver was arrested.
He said preliminary medical examination indicates that the driver was not under the influence of alcohol, however, a blood sample was preserved by the police for further analysis.
Shop owner Nand Kishore recalled his narrow escape. “I had just come out of the shop when the SUV rammed into it. The driver wanted to park his vehicle but lost control,” he said.