A three-and-a-half-year-old boy was killed after he was run over by a speeding Tata tempo outside his home in southwest Delhi’s Najafgarh at 9 am on Friday, said police. The tempo driver was drunk.
The boy, identified as Chinmay, was playing outside home while his father was standing some meters when the accident took place.
The tempo driver was immediately caught by a mob and thrashed. A police team arrived at the spot and rescue Dabbu (30), the driver. The driver was admitted to a nearby hospital with multiple injuries.
A senior police officer said Shah was driving under the influence of alcohol. “Not only he failed to see the boy playing in the lane, but also did not stop the vehicle even after running over the child,” said police.
In his statement to police, Shah claimed that he did not realise that the boy was crushed under the wheels of his vehicle.
“Shah kept on driving even after the boy was run over by his vehicle. He stopped the tempo only when locals screamed and alerted him about the accident. Some agitated residents caught hold of him and brutally beat him up before our team reached and took him into custody,” said a senior officer.
Chinamy was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital but he was declared brought dead. Police sources said Shah was alone in the tempo at the time of the accident.
“Some bottles of liquor were found inside the vehicle. Shah’s medical examination also confirmed that he was drunk at the time of the accident. Even as the lane outside the boy’s house was narrow, Shah drove at a high speed and without blowing the horn,” said the official.
“We arrested him for rash and negligent driving causing death,” said the officer.