New Delhi: Two cousins were tragically charred to death early Thursday when their Toyota Fortuner collided with a truck and caught fire in outer Delhi’s Rani Bagh area
The police were alerted about the incident through a PCR call received at the Rani Bagh Police Station.
According to the police, the incident occurred around 3 a.m. when the SUV, carrying the victims, rammed into a truck moving ahead of it. The collision was so intense that the SUV’s bonnet got lodged under the truck and was dragged for nearly 400 to 500 metres before bursting into flames. Both occupants, Henry (20), a resident of Meera Bagh, and his cousin Dipanshu Chandela (21) from Paschim Vihar, were trapped inside the burning vehicle and died on the spot. Their bodies were later identified by family members.
Police received a PCR call regarding the accident around 3:10 a.m., after which a team from the Rani Bagh Police Station and fire tenders rushed to the location.
Despite efforts to douse the flames, both victims had already succumbed. Their remains were sent for post-mortem examination and subsequently handed over to their families.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the two had left home around 2:30 a.m. to have dinner at Murthal.
The truck driver, who has been detained, told the police he was travelling from Mundka to Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar when the SUV rammed into his vehicle from behind.
Police have registered a case and are probing whether overspeeding or any other factor caused the crash. The mechanical inspection report of both vehicles is awaited to establish the exact sequence of events.
Family members said Henry was pursuing a BBA degree in Pune and that his family had earlier lost his elder brother at a similar age.
His father works in mobile tower installation. Dipanshu, also a BBA student at a college in Rohini, was the son of a local property dealer and is survived by his parents and a sister.