Auto passenger dies after iron rod pierces chest in Faridabad accident

The 32-year-old victim had arrived from Bihar a day earlier. Police say the auto driver dropped him at hospital and fled; CCTV footage is being scanned.

A 32-year-old man died in a road accident near Kherki Pul in Faridabad on Saturday after an iron rod pierced his chest while he was travelling in an auto-rickshaw, police said on Sunday. 

The crash took place near Kherki Pul around 12.35pm. The victim lived in Bharti Colony and was travelling with his brother-in-law, police said. (File photo)

The incident took place around 12.35pm when the auto-rickshaw crashed into a bullock cart carrying uncovered iron rods, officials privy to the matter said. The victim, identified as Dheeraj Kumar, originally from Bihar, was taken to BK Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival, police said. 

A senior officer at Kherki Pul police station said Dheeraj was travelling with his brother-in-law, Ashok (single name), and both were living at rented accommodation in Bharti Colony. “They were familiar with the auto-driver before the accident,” the officer said, requesting anonymity. 

According to investigators, the auto-rickshaw was moving at a normal speed when the bullock cart suddenly applied brakes in front of it. “The bullock cart suddenly stopped in the middle of the road towards Kherki Pul, and the auto-rickshaw driver did apply the brakes; however, the three-wheeler couldn’t stop,” an officer said citing Ashok. He added that Dheeraj had arrived in Faridabad from Bihar on Friday, a day before the accident. 

Police said preliminary investigations revealed that the auto-rickshaw driver dropped the injured Dheeraj and his brother-in-law at BK Hospital before fleeing the scene. “After dropping them at the hospital, he fled from the scene. The victim was pronounced dead on arrival by the doctors. His body is kept at the hospital for an autopsy,” the senior official said. 

Station house officer inspector Devender (single name), in charge of Kherki Pul police station, said police were waiting for the victim’s family to arrive in Faridabad before conducting the post-mortem. “The victim’s family was informed about the incident, and they are expected to reach the district by Monday. Despite no formal complaint received from the deceased’s brother-in-law, our teams have begun their investigation, looking into all the aspects that led to the accident,” he said. 

SHO Devender said the identities of both the auto-rickshaw driver and the bullock cart driver were being ascertained using CCTV footage from the stretch where the accident took place. “Further action will be decided based on the autopsy findings,” he said.