Girl killed as car rams into truck

A girl died and three were critically injured when the Honda City car in which they were travelling along with two boys hit a truck at the National Highway-24 near Akshardham temple on Saturday night.

The driver and the other boy sustained minor injuries, said the police. Shalini Rana (24), Pooja Pathak (23), Pooja Tomar (22) and Priyanshi Rana (23) were returning with their friends Bhola Kumar Jha (24) and Ajay (25) from Ghaziabad when the accident occurred, said the cops.

The police said they received a PCR call around 10 pm on Saturday from a passer-by about a car having crashed into a roadside stationary truck on National Highway 24.

The cops claimed they found the car smashed by the accident when they reached the spot. “The impact of the crash was such that a part of the car had gone inside the truck,” said a police officer, adding that it took some time to extricate the victims from the car, which led to traffic jam in the area.

Hailing from Bulandeshahar in Uttar Pradesh, the four girls had come to Delhi for the preparation of Bank PO (Probationary Officer) examination two months ago, said a relative of one of the injured.

Jha works with a travel and tour company in Barakhamba Road and lives in Noida, said the police.

“All the girls were friends living in a single apartment in Lakshmi Nagar. Priyanshi befriended Jha on Facebook a few days ago and they started hanging out together,’’ said Pooja Tomar’s relative Rishi.

“On Saturday, Jha took the girls to Ghaziabad at a hospital for his checkup. From Ghaziabad, they were going towards Greater Kailash for a party when their car met with the accident,” said Rishi. During the journey, Jha was reportedly egging his driver to go fast on the highway to impress the girls.

After the accident, the injured were first taken to Lal Bahadur Shashtri hospital in Mayur Vihar, from where the four girls were referred to Max Super Speciality Hospital in Patparganj, where Shalini breathed her last around 5 am on Sunday, said the police.

Of the other girls, Pooja Pathak is said to be in critical condition and undergoing treatment at Max Super Speciality Hospital in Patparganj, said the police. “We are waiting for the victims to recover enough to give a statement, after which things will be clearer,” said a police officer.