Teen mows down 2 children in Sarita Vihar

NEW DELHI: In what seems like a freak accident, a 13-year-old boy, who apparently wanted to listen to music on his brother''s car stereo, mistakenly set off its ignition and killed two children in the Sarita Vihar area on Friday night. The victims'' mother was also injured in the accident.
"Mariam Khatoon is still recuperating at the hospital but her son, Mohammad Huzma (4) and Maria (6) died on way to the Holy Family hospital," a police official said.
"They had just returned after buying medicine at a nearby pharmacy and were entering their home when they were hit," the officer said. The impact of the car was so severe that all three sustained injuries to the brain. "Mariam has also had injuries on her hand," the officer added.
The incident occured at 9:30 pm in Abul Fazal Enclave, Part-I. The accused and the victims were neighbours. "The accused''s father is dead. He lives with his four elder brothers," a police officer added.
He said the accused was arrested but released on bail. "The accused''s elder brother stood as his surety," the officer said. At the time of the incident, the police said, the accused''s brother had just returned from the office. "He runs his own business," the officer said.
The brother claims that he parked his Maruti outside the house and went inside to freshen up. A few minutes later, the accused came and sat inside the car.
In his statement, the accused claims he went to listen to music on the car stereo. He says he simply meant to switch on the car''s battery. It seems the car was parked in reverse-gear. The accused, instead, started the ignition, causing the car to move back. Since he was unable to apply the brakes on time, the car mowed into Mariam and her children.
The accused''s family is yet to explain how he managed to procure the keys to the car. "The brother says he did not give him the key. None of the other family members are offering an explanation. The accused too is unwilling to talk to us," the officer said.