Lucknow: Two constables died after the Innova they were travelling in crashed into a divider and another car parked on the other side of the road near Vasundhara flyover late on Sunday night.
The two — Om Sharma (41) of Delhi Police and Jagveer Singh (31) of Ghaziabad police — were part of security provided to a local builder, Nikhil Chaudhary.
Police said the preliminary investigation suggests Nikhil was driving the Innova after consuming liquor, and lost control while speeding.
Driver Manoj Sharma (32), who was also in the car, told cops that Nikhil insisted on taking the wheel despite being requested multiple times, including by the constables, not to.
Nikhil fled after the crash, but he was traced and detained by Monday afternoon. Manoj was detained from the accident spot earlier in the day. Police said they were waiting for the constables’ families to file a complaint.
DCP (Trans-Hindon) Nimish Dasharath Patil said Nikhil was granted security after some bike-borne assailants shot dead his father Surendra Pal Singh at their office in Ghaziabad’s Shalimar Garden in November 2017. A gunner from Ghaziabad police was assigned to him by UP government, and Delhi Police assigned two more gunners after a high court order.
The third Delhi Police constable, Himanshu Nain, wasn’t in the car at the time of the accident as he left the group and stayed back in Ghaziabad to visit his ailing grandmother.
Cops said the accident took place near the Crown Palace banquet hall at 11.25pm.
“The Innova belongs to Nikhil, a resident of Vivek Vihar in Delhi who works as a builder-cum-property dealer in Ghaziabad. He left his home around 8pm on Sunday to meet a friend in Indirapuram. At 9.30pm, he left his friend’s house to get back to Delhi, but on his way, he stopped at a liquor shop near Jaipuria Mall. He then consumed liquor for an hour inside the car,” the DCP said.
Around 11.20pm, the group started to leave but Nikhil told Manoj that he wanted to drive.
“Manoj and both the constables requested him not to, but he didn’t listen. Om Sharma was sitting on the co-passenger seat, while Jagveer Singh and Manoj were sitting behind… Nikhil was driving rashly, and others kept trying to convince him to stop. Five to six minutes later, he lost control, and the accident took place,” the DCP added.
CCTV footage from the site shows a white Innova crashing into a black sedan. A minute later, a man in a white jacket — believed to be Nikhil — is seen talking to a passerby. He is later seen talking to Manoj, who also gets out of the mangled Innova.
The bodies have been sent for autopsy and reports are awaited.
“We are waiting for the victims’ families to file a complaint, so we can register an FIR,” the DCP said.
Jagveer Singh’s father Ghanshyam, a retired sub-inspector with UP Police, said his son didn’t join the force to die in this manner. “We want strict action against Nikhil. The government should punish him and set an example so that rich people don’t commit this mistake,” the father said. Jagveer is survived by his wife and two children, and elderly parents.
