Delhi cab driver dragged for a kilometre by carjackers who stole his vehicle, dies

Sources said the accused were aware Shah was stuck under the wheels but they kept driving. They allegedly threatened Bijender, who worked with cab aggregators, near Mahipalpur and pushed him out of his car. When he chased them, they ran over him and he got stuck, said police. A case has been filed under charges of murder for “knowingly driving rashly and killing him”.

In videos shot by passersby, a 44-second clip shows the accused overtaking trucks and other vehicles as Shah is stuck under the car. When people start honking at the accused, they hit the brakes and turn to dislodge the body.

According to police, they received a PCR call about the incident around 11.30 pm. The callers said the driver had severe head injuries and had died.

“We received a call about an unidentified male body lying on NH-48. Our team rushed to the spot and found that there was an accident and his car was missing. He was rushed to the hospital but he succumbed to injuries,” DCP (Southwest) Manoj C said.

Police sources said the accused targeted the victim with “weapons” and robbed his car. They then travelled through the National Highway, towards the IGI Airport, but were not stopped at any police pickets near Mahipalpur. “The accused were waiting near the Mahipalpur stretch at night and targeted the driver when they found him alone. They fled towards Haryana…,” said the officer.

A special investigation team was formed to investigate the case. Teams analysed CCTV footage and mounted technical surveillance on the accused. “We got a tip-off that the accused fled to Meerut; we called local authorities for assistance. The police of both states worked for hours and finally arrested the duo from Meerut along with the car,” said Sagar Preet Hooda, Special CP (Law and Order).

During questioning, the duo revealed they waited for a taxi in Saket on Tuesday night. When they spotted Bijender, they pretended to be passengers and got into the car. Once they reached Mahipalpur, they threatened the victim and pushed him out to rob the car.

Police said Mehraj is involved in six criminal cases — four in UP and two in Delhi. Asif is also a history sheeter with over nine criminal involvements in Delhi and UP.

Shah’s family lives in Faridabad’s Shehzadpur Village. He is survived by his wife Suganti Devi and their five children — three daughters and two sons. His eldest, 20-year-old Sunita, is a Delhi University student while the other children are in school.

According to Shah’s friend Shankar Singh, he had bought the car in February. “It was the first car he bought. While he had been driving a cab for several years, he saved up and bought the car with the help of a friend,” he said.

The case is reminiscent of the horrific accident reported on New Year’s Eve in Rohini, where Anjali Singh (20) was dragged for nearly 12 km under a car, with five men in it, and succumbed to injuries.