Mob on rampage after girl dies in accident

A nine-year-old girl was crushed to death by a speeding truck in north east Delhi’s New Usmanpur on Friday. The accused has been arrested, police said.

Tension also prevailed in the area when a mob went on a rampage over the incident.

The deceased has been identified as Ayesha Khatoon, a resident of Shahdara. She was at a traffic signal when the truck hit her. Locals took her to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital. “Aarti had suffered head injuries and died during treatment,” said a police officer.

The truck driver, 28-year-old Munna Sahini, who hails from Alwar district of Rajasthan, was overpowered by locals and handed over to police. The truck was carrying bricks for a construction site in north east Delhi’s Jyoti Nagar. “The driver was speeding and took a sharp turn due to which he lost control. The vehicle then ran over the girl and she was also dragged for a few metres,” the officer added. Police seized the truck and registered a case with New Usmanpur police station.

Following the accident, locals hurled stones at the mini-truck and blocked traffic. Traffic snarls were reported from the area till late Friday afternoon. “They were claiming that a call was made to the PCR, but local police took more than 30 minutes to reach the spot. The girl was taken to hospital in an auto-rickshaw,” an eyewitness, Manoj, told Deccan Herald.