A 22-year-old woman was killed while her mother sustained injuries as a truck rammed their two-wheeler from behind in north-west Delhi’s Keshav Puram on Thursday night, the police said on Friday.
Driver held
The truck driver, who allegedly ran over the woman in an attempt to flee the spot after the accident, has been arrested.
The deceased, identified as Khushbu Sharma, was a resident of Tri Nagar. She was a fifth-year architecture student at a private university. Her mother has been identified as Anju Sharma.
Khushbu’s paternal uncle Amit Sharma said she called her mother around 9 p.m. and told her that she was about to reach Kanhaiya Nagar metro station, which is close to their house. Khushbu was returning from a south Delhi firm where she worked as an intern.
Ms. Sharma went to the station on a scooty to pick her up. They were on the way home at the time of the incident.
“They had just taken a turn towards Tri Nagar when a speeding truck hit the scooty from behind. Her mother fell to the left, while Khushbu fell to the right,” the uncle said.
He said the driver ran over Khushbu, who had sustained injuries and was lying unconscious on the road, in an attempt to flee the spot.
“The driver was merciless. He tried to speed away and she [Khushbu] came under the truck’s front right wheel,” Mr. Sharma said.
Locals to the rescue
Locals gathered at the spot immediately and stopped the truck, which had managed to go just a few metres, Mr. Sharma said.
The police control room received a call regarding the incident around 9.30 p.m.
The injured women were rushed to Deep Chand Bandhu Government Hospital, where Khushbu was declared brought dead.
Her mother was discharged after a few hours.
Kin protest
The family of the deceased staged a demonstration at the accident spot in protest against trucks plying in the city illegally.
“Trucks are not allowed inside the city before 11 p.m. How was it [this truck] allowed?” said the uncle.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (North-West) Aslam Khan said the driver has been identified as Chote Kumar, who hails from Bihar.
A case under Sections 279 (rash driving), 304A (causing death by negligence) and 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered.
Khushbu, who would have turned 23 this August, was about to graduate and was excited about starting her career, said her relatives.