A drunk man driving an Audi car allegedly crushed five people, including an eight-year-old girl, sleeping on the footpath near Shiva Camp in South Delhi’s VasantVihar area late Saturday area.
According to officials , the victims, including two couples and the child, were asleep on a footpath near Shiva Camp when the incident occurred.
The victims were identified as Ladhi (40), her eight-year-old daughter Bimla, husband Sabami alias Chirma (45), Ram Chander (45), and his wife Narayani (35). All of them hailed from Rajasthan, the police said.
The vehicle, an Audi, was reportedly being driven under the influence of alcohol. The incident took place at around 1.45 am on July 9 near the Indian Oil Petrol Pump in the area. The driver of the car was identified as UtsavShekhar, 40, who lived in Dwarka.
Medical reports confirmed that he was under the influence of alcohol while driving. By the time officers reached the scene, the injured people had already been taken to the hospital for treatment.
An initial investigation by the police and the eyewitness accounts have revealed that a white Audi car ran over the sleeping persons on the footpath. The driver of the vehicle was taken into custody, and a legal action was initiated against him.
As per eyewitnesses and initial investigation, the white Audi mounted the curb and ran over the victims while they were asleep outside Shiva Camp. The car then drove for some distance before ramming a truck.
One of the victims, Ramchander, said, “We were sleeping when the car hit us at around 1 AM. Two people were injured; my wife sustained an injury to her ear, and her rib was broken. The police took us to the hospital.”
He also demanded action against the driver, who was allegedly driving the car in an inebriated condition.
Police officials said a case has been lodged, and further investigation is ongoing.
Back in May, at least two people were killed and three injured after a Swift car, driven by a 19-year-old boy, first hit a cyclist and then crashed into a roadside slum in west Delhi.
In another case of negligent driving, a two-year-old girl died after being hit by a car driven by her 15-year-old neighbour in the city’s Paharganj area in April.
Data reveals a worrying trend: In the first three months of this year alone, 7,717 cases of drunk driving were reported - 2,484 in Jan, 1,776 in Feb and 3,457 in March.
The police circles logging the most violations were Narela (1,035), followed by Ashok Vihar (353), Rajouri Garden (345), Khajoori (317) and Punjabi Bagh (310). In the same period in 2023, the number stood at 5,584. Overall, 22,703 drunk driving cases were recorded in 2024, marking a sharp 40% rise from 2023, when 16,244 people were caught driving under the influence.