Truck Driver Held in Haryana After Crash on Kalindi Kunj Road Leaves Four Dead
Four people were killed and two others sustained injuries after an allegedly speeding truck rammed into a parked boom lift crane and an auto-rickshaw on the Kalindi Kunj-Sarita Vihar Road around 3:20 am on Sunday. Police confirmed on Monday that the absconding driver has been arrested in Haryana.
The incident occurred while workers from the Nehru Place-based firm Aabmatica were working at the site to install and test traffic violation detection cameras for the Delhi Traffic Police. The truck veered towards the camera installation site, crashing into the parked crane, the auto-rickshaw, and the road divider, causing extensive damage to the vehicles.
Emergency responders rushed six victims to a nearby hospital. Medical staff declared 34-year-old HR manager Suraj Nayal, 23-year-old auto driver Umesh Kumar, and 35-year-old technician Praveen Kumar dead. Praveen Kumar’s 26-year-old cousin, Anup Kumar, later succumbed to his injuries during treatment. Two other injured individuals, identified as Aakash, 20, and Khem Singh, 40, received medical attention, while another Aabmatica employee named Sudhir escaped the crash unharmed.
The driver, identified as Vinod, in his early 30s, fled the scene immediately after the crash, leaving behind the damaged truck and the injured victims. Following his arrest in Haryana, Vinod claimed that a front right tyre burst had caused him to lose control of the vehicle. However, investigators dismissed his explanation, stating that evidence suggests the tyre burst only after the truck struck the crane, the auto-rickshaw, and the divider. The rear left tyre of the boom lift also burst from the force of the collision.
Joint Police Commissioner Vijay Kumar confirmed that Vinod and the truck owner are both residents of Faridabad, Haryana. Kumar stated that an investigating team is interrogating the arrested driver to reconstruct the exact sequence of events that led to the fatal collision.
Police said the truck, which usually carries construction material, was empty at the time of the crash. Investigators suspect the vehicle was returning from Noida after unloading material and was on its way back to Faridabad for reloading. An investigator noted that heavy vehicles are permitted to operate only between 11:00 pm and 6:00 am when no-entry restrictions are lifted, prompting drivers to speed in an effort to complete maximum trips within the permitted window.
