Kanpur, Nov 8 (IANS) A tragic incident unfolded on the streets of Kanpur on the eve of Diwali, as a speeding SUV, purportedly driven by a woman with a learner’s licence, rammed into a scooterist and dragged him to death.

After hitting the scooter, the SUV dragged the victim and his scooter for nearly 20 metres before crashing into the green cover nearby. The scooter rider reportedly died on the spot, leading to chaos and panic in the area.

The incident took place in the Awas Vikas-3 area of Kalyanpur police station area at around 7.30 p.m. on Saturday

Following the incident, the police team arrived at the scene and shifted the victim to the hospital, where was declared dead. Police have launched a manhunt to track down the woman driver, who fled the spot after knocking down the victim.

The victim was identified as 55-year-old Santosh Singh Chouhan, who had gone to the market for Diwali shopping. Some reports said that the accident happened while he was returning home after purchasing a saree for his wife.

Some eyewitnesses claimed that the speeding ‘Thar’ rammed into his scooter from behind. The SUV went out of control, broke through the boundary wall of a house, and ended up in the garden inside. The scooterist was also dragged along with the SUV, resulting in his immediate death.

Two women and one man are said to be in the car at the time of the accident. Following the mishap, the car occupants abandoned the damaged vehicle and fled in another car.

Some reports said that the victim’s scooter was struck by the car, very close to him. His family members are demanding that the accused be arrested and prosecuted.

According to eyewitnesses, the SUV bore the inscriptions “Bharatiya Kisan Union” on the front and “Krishna Group” on the rear portion of the car.

Meanwhile, the deceased’s body has been sent for post-mortem, while the Kalyanpur police have taken the ‘Thar’ into custody and are conducting a probe into whole incident. Video footage from the nearby CCTV cameras is being examined to identify the person who was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident.

Speaking to newsmen, DCP West, Kasim Abdi, said that a case has been registered and police teams have launched a manhunt for the accused.

–IANS

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