Case at dead end, cops track down hit-and-run suspect

New Delhi: After a scooter rider got knocked over by a speeding canter truck on the Dhaula Kuan flyover on March 12, the case seemed like a dead end — with no eyewitnesses, statements, or visible registration numbers. Yet a breakthrough came in the form of a combination of seemingly innocuous words spotted on the truck: ‘SP Trans’, ‘Dak Parcel’, and ‘Arohi’.
Police arrested a 49-year-old truck driver in the case on Sunday.
After scanning over 250 CCTVs across various districts and employing GPS data from the day of the incident, police narrowed down the investigation to a transport company in southwest Delhi. The accused was identified as Laxmi Kant, a native of Uttar Pradesh.
DCP (southwest) Rohit Meena said a PCR call at 11pm on the fateful day reported a truck striking a scooter and absconding from the scene. “The victim was rushed to a hospital for treatment. He was deemed unfit for statement and no eyewitnesses could be located,” said the senior police official.
The injured victim, identified as Mohammed Irfan, is a resident of Patel Nagar and works as a hawker at Sarojini Nagar market.
An investigation by a team led by Ravinder Kumar Tyagi, SHO RK Puram police station, began.
“CCTV footage revealed the words inscribed on the truck. ‘SP Trans’ and ‘Dak Parcel’ directed investigators to several travel agencies displaying similar markings,” the DCP said.
Further inquiry yielded details of several trucks belonging to two transport agencies in Mahipalpur, though the elusive ‘Arohi’ written on the windshield remained a mystery.
To piece the puzzle together, police got from the agencies GPS data of all the trucks passing through the area to identify the specific canter bearing all the identifying words, which led to the breakthrough.
“Subsequently, raids were conducted and the accused was nabbed. Kant has been remanded to judicial custody," police added.