NEW DELHI: The Mercedes car that mowed down three restaurant workers, killing one, in Vasant Kunj was speeding, being driven in a zigzag and rash manner, and dragged two of the victims for some distance, police said.
The accident took place near Ambience Mall on Nelson Mandela Marg on Sunday, killing Rohit Singh, while his colleagues Kapil Tamta and Lalit Mohan Bawari, all staffers at a restaurant in the mall, were injured, officials said.
According to the FIR, the three were waiting for a vehicle to return to their rented accommodation in Munirka after finishing their shift. “We had just reached the bus stop opposite the mall after finishing our work when a black Mercedes G63 coming from the Vasant Kunj side approached at high speed. The driver was driving the vehicle in a zigzag and negligent manner, first hitting the road divider and then swerving sharply towards the bus stop,” it stated.
Lalit, in his statement, said that upon seeing the vehicle lose control and head toward them, all three attempted to run toward the footpath, but the SUV rammed into them.
“The impact was so severe that Rohit and Kapil were dragged along the road as the vehicle continued forward before crashing into an iron pole on the left side of the carriageway and overturning,” he said.
Police officers reached the spot after receiving a PCR call and found all three injured. Rohit was unconscious and unresponsive, while Kapil and Lalit had sustained multiple injuries. They were taken to a hospital, where Rohit was declared dead, while Kapil remains in critical condition.
A preliminary inquiry indicated that the high-end vehicle first lost control after hitting a divider and then crashed into a pole before veering sharply toward an auto stand where the victims were waiting.
The car driver, Shivam, a resident of Karol Bagh, was apprehended. He was returning home after attending his own reception and was accompanied by his wife and elder brother. An FIR under sections 281, 125(A), and 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has been registered, police said.
Lost our only breadwinner, says victim’s family
The family of 23-year-old Rohit who died after being hit by a speeding Mercedes in southwest Delhi’s Vasant Kunj, said their only hope for a better life is lost. According to relatives, Rohit was the sole breadwinner and had been saving to open his own restaurant someday.
A native of Chamoli in Uttarakhand, Rohit worked as a chef at a restaurant inside Ambience Mall, earning around Rs 15,000 a month. He was killed and two others critically injured after a Mercedes G63 allegedly rammed into them near Ambience Mall on Nelson Mandela Marg early Sunday.
Rohit had been supporting his parents and siblings since the age of 20, sending home most of his earnings. “He was the only one earning. Our whole family depended on him,” said his uncle Balwant Singh. “He was humble and soft-spoken. The SUV driver destroyed all our dreams.”
Relatives said the family is shattered, especially his mother. Police said Rohit’s body will be handed over after the post-mortem. Kapil and Lalit remain under treatment.
