A 22-year-old man, Vansh Katyal, was arrested on Thursday morning after allegedly crushing four labourers to death and injuring two others with a speeding Mercedes on Rajpur Road in Dehradun. Katyal, who was taking his 12-year-old nephew for a joyride, lost control of the vehicle while driving at over 70-75 km/h. The accident occurred around 8:20 pm on Wednesday, when the SUV knocked down the victims, killing them instantly.
The victims — Mansharam (30), Ranjit (35), Durgesh (30), and Balkaran (40) — were all labourers from Ayodhya and Barabanki. The two others on a scooter were also injured, but are reported to be in stable condition.
After the incident, Katyal fled the scene and abandoned the vehicle on Sahastradhara Road. He later parked the damaged car in a vacant plot, called a friend to claim that the car had only suffered a minor accident, and took a bus to Delhi. However, police traced him through CCTV footage and the car’s Chandigarh number plate. Following questioning of his family, Katyal returned to Dehradun, where he was arrested.
Police confirmed that Katyal was sober at the time of the crash. The police have registered a case under various BNS sections including 105, 125, 281, and 324(4). Katyal was produced in court and has been sent to jail.
