Trucker drags man for 8 km, helper attacks pleading friends

In a shocking incident, an 18-year-old boy on scooter was crushed to death by a speeding truck which dragged him for around eight kilometers, while two of the victim’s friends, who clung to the dumper making desperate pleas to the driver to stop, were attacked with rod by his helper.

The incident occurred in the wee hours on Tuesday in southeast Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar area and the errant dumper was flagged down at a picket near AurobindoCollege after a chase following which the body of the victim, identified as Fawad Ahamd, was pulled out, police said on Wednesday.

Ahmad, a waiter by profession, was on his scooter with two of his friends riding pillion driving past Lajpat Nagar in the wee hours on Tuesday when the speeding truck hit them from behind, a police official said.

However, the driver did not stop after the collision and accelerated the vehicle, with Ahmad’s body and the broken scooter stuck in the vehicle’s suspension.

Meanwhile, Ahmad’s friend Gaurav and Shivam managed to grab railings on two different sides of the vehicle and clung on to the speeding truck, pleading the driver to stop, the official said.

While the driver, identified as Abdul Gaffur, refused to do so, his helper, Saikulliya, allegedly kept hitting the hanging duo with a rod until they managed to get rid of them at a spot in August Kranti Marg.

It was a passerby, a 34-year-old electrician who was heading back home, who witnessed the episode and called up the police, the official said.

The PCR call was received around 2.20 am, following which a team from Lajpat Nagar police station chased the truck. When they did not succeed, the message was passed on to a PCR team deployed in August Kranti Marg and the chase continued.

The truck was finally flagged down at a police picket near Aurobindo College in south Delhi’s Malviya Nagar area, around 8 km away from the spot of the accident.

Ahmad’s body was spotted and soon pulled out. He was rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead, the official added.

“We have arrested four persons under relevant sections of law in connection with the incident,” deputy commissioner of police (Southeast) M S Randhawa said.

The arrested persons include the errant driver and helper of the truck which hit Ahmad's scooter and also the driver and helper of the truck following the vehicle.

They worked for the same construction enterprise and tried to evade arrest. A police team had signalled the other truck to stop, but they disobeyed. Both trucks have been impounded, an official said.

He said both the trucks also allegedly tried to obstruct the electrician who chased the accused for around 2 km and also informed the police.

Image used for representational purpose only.