Hot pursuit turns tragic

Police said the men were chasing the Alto car,driven by the offenders,when they crashed into a truck near Aman Vihar of Outer Delhi.

The deceased have been identified as Kuldeep Singh (42),Parvaiz Tomar (47) and Naveen (40). Singh,a property dealer,was the president of Akash Ganga Apartments Society in Sector 24,while Tomar was the general secretary of the society and a manager with Punjab National Bank. Naveen owned a factory in the neighbourhood.

Eyewitnesses said four men,reportedly in an inebriated condition,stopped their car around 12.15 am outside Akash Ganga Apartments and started shouting obscenities.

“Residents of the housing society asked them to leave,but they only got more rowdy. Kuldeep Singh tried to calm them down,but they started beating him up. By this time,many residents had come out and someone called the police. The four accused then got into their Alto and fled,” said Ram Niwas Solanki,who lives in Akash Ganga.

Another neighbour Pramod Rana — critically injured — with five others then chased the Alto in his Hyundai Verna car (UP-17C-7777).

A senior police officer said: “Rana took the wrong side of the road. At the Kanjhawla Junction,barely 100 metres from Aman Vihar police station,a truck ran over it,crushing the people inside. The driver failed to see the car and Rana could not stop as he was speeding.”

The truck driver then called the police and the victims were rushed to Jaipur Golden Hospital in Rohini,where Singh,Tomar and Naveen were declared dead on arrival. Rana is stated to be critical,while the other two,identified as Ajay Vishwas (36) and Lal Mani (40) were better by evening. Police said Rana was not drunk.

Kuldeep Singh’s eldest daughter,Nitin said,“I know my father only tried to do the right thing. I don’t know what we will do. I am in my second year in B.Com and my siblings are younger than me.”

Deceased Tomar is survived by his wife and three children,while Naveen’s relatives are in his hometown in Uttar Pradesh.

A neighbour,Hitesh Kumar,said,“They were chasing the Alto to hand over the miscreants to the police.” Police said they had recovered Rana’s licensed pistol from the car. Police are now investigating whether the victims had plans of attacking the miscreants. Police are also investigating whether there was any tiff between the victims and the miscreants. The Alto has also not been traced. “We have impounded the truck and the severely damaged car. A case of death due to rash and negligent driving has been registered against unknown people. The truck driver has not been booked because prima facie it looks like it was not his fault,” a senior police official said.