Lawyer killed in south Delhi as garbage truck jumps red light, driver flees

Officers said the force of the collision flung Kaur several feet ahead, and she sustained severe injuries to the head and torso

A 26-year-old woman, a lawyer from Jharkhand, was killed after a speeding garbage-laden truck allegedly jumped a red light and crashed into her as she was crossing the road at Lal Chowk in Okhla, south Delhi, on Wednesday morning, police said.

Nanjot Kaur was taken to AIIMS Trauma Centre, where doctors declared her dead on arrival. (PTI)

Eyewitnesses told police that the woman, identified as Nanjot Kaur, was crossing when the pedestrian signal turned green. A truck belonging to a private contractor working with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) allegedly ignored the traffic light, hit her at high speed, and left her fatally injured. The driver fled, abandoning the vehicle.

Deputy commissioner of police (southeast) Hemant Tiwari said that the Okhla Industrial Area police station received a call about the accident at 9.53am. “A police team rushed to the spot and found the injured woman lying in a pool of blood. She was taken to AIIMS Trauma Centre, where doctors declared her dead on arrival,” he said.

Officers said the force of the collision flung Kaur several feet ahead, and she sustained severe injuries to the head and torso.

Local enquiries confirmed that the truck, registered in Uttar Pradesh, was carrying garbage and heading towards Govindpuri Metro station. “The driver did not slow down despite the signal being red for him,” said a police officer who spoke to eyewitnesses.

Kaur, originally from Jamshedpur in Jharkhand, was living in a paying guest accommodation in Govindpuri. She was identified through documents and a tiffin box found in her handbag. Police said she had graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree from a Ranchi college and was working with a legal firm in Okhla Phase-II.

Her body was later shifted to a government hospital mortuary. Police said her family had been informed.

DCP Tiwari said a case under relevant sections of law has been registered at the Okhla Industrial Area police station, and the truck impounded. “The driver is on the run. Our teams are making efforts to nab him,” he said.