MOHALI: A teenager was driving the Mercedes-Benz car that crashed into a taxi and two cycles near the Radha Soami traffic light point on the airport road in Mohali on Saturday, leaving three people dead, police said on Sunday after arresting the 18-year-old boy.
Samrat, the accused, was drunk at the time of the accident, cops said, adding he does not have a driving licence. The resident of Sector 34 D belongs to a family of top opticians having a shop in Sector 17, Chandigarh. His two friends identified as Arjun and Prabhnoor were with him in the car. They were booked too, but are absconding. Police said Samrat jumped the traffic lights and rammed his car into a Maruti Ertiga taxi and two cycles around 5.55am.
Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Satinder Singh said the three were drunk and the accident took place when the driver lost control of the car. They fled from the site even after realising the serious condition of the victims and did not inform the police or call an ambulance, he said. Police have recovered empty bottles of liquor from the car. The SSP said the other two accused would be nabbed soon.
The victims had been identified as 40-year-old Ram Prasad of Mataur, 22-year-old Dharampreet Singh of Gholu Majra and Ankush Narula of Zirakpur. The injured were Shripal Verma of Sector 70, Pardeep Kumar of Gholu Majra and Harish Kumar of Chandigarh.
The condition of Harish, the cab driver, is critical. He is battling for life at PGI, Chandigarh. Pardeep, who works in a private company, suffered fractures to his legs and arms and is admitted at a private hospital in Sector 71. Shripal is out of danger.