At a time when the city is reeling under the menace of young drivers, some below age as well, hitting and killing pedestrians, Monday saw yet another horrific incident in Janakpuri when two persons including an elderly was mowed down by a 21-year-old drunk driver.
This comes at a time when the judiciary of the country is trying to penalise the accused in the Mercedes hit-and-run case and set a precedence in order to curb the menace not only in the Capital but all over the country.
In the early hours of Monday two persons including an elderly man died while one was severely injured when a Honda City car rammed into them at West Delhi’s Janakpuri area. According to the police, the car was driven by a 21-year-old BBA student Rishabh, who was drunk. He was chased and later arrested by the cops.
According to the police, the accident took place at around 6.30 am on a road behind Tihar Jail where the three men were walking on the footpath.
Police said that the victims have been identified as Ashwani Anand (67), resident of Janakpuri, and Kameshwar Prasad (40), a resident of Sagarpur in West Delhi. Meanwhile, the injured person, Santosh (40), is also a Janakpuri resident.
According to senior police officials of the West district, Rishabh who was in an inebriated state, allegedly fled from accident spot after hitting the three men. However, a few policemen who were nearby chased the car.
Police added that the car was intercepted after a chase of around 400 metre. Rishabh tried to step out of the vehicle and flee. However, the policemen overpowered him.
“He was found driving under the influence of alcohol,” said a senior police official. According to the police, a case of rash and negligent driving causing deaths and injuries was registered at the Janakpuri police station and Rishabh was arrested.
Sources said that Rishabh was returning home after attending a late-night party at his friend’s home in Hari Nagar.
Meanwhile, eyewitnesses told the senior police officials that he was heavily drunk and was unable to stand on his own when the policemen took him out of the vehicle. Sources also added that he was not alone in the car, however, further information on this was not received.
According to a senior police official, Rishabh is pursuing his BBA course from Indraprastha University. The car is registered in his father’s name, who runs a hardware shop in Janakpuri. The cops also confirmed that the car has been impounded.