They had borrowed car for the night

NEW DELHI: Aakash and his businessman father Manoj Sharma were fated not to meet again. Just a day before the accident, the two had tried to meet up at the airport when Sharma senior arrived from Chhattisgarh for a business meeting. But a mixup of terminals — Aakash turned up at T3 but Manoj landed at T1 — forced the father to put off the reunion till the next day as he was running late.
When Manoj Sharma called in the evening, Aakash promised to meet him after the birthday party. But next morning, he was left to shoulder the burden of Aakash’s and his cousin Vikas’ bodies.
Mayank Chauhan’s father, a senior cop in Chhattisgarh, was informed about the accident but not his son’s death. As he reached the airport, he received the tragic news. The grief-struck father lost courage and returned from the airport.
The three killed youths had come to the capital a few years back to study at Delhi University. Mayank was in the first year of a BA programme at PGDAV College and had recently moved into a flat in Malviya Nagar. Vikas was pursuing BCom final year at Delhi College of Arts and Commerce and lived in ARD Complex in RK Puram. Aakash was doing his CA finals and lived in Laxmi Nagar.
Of the injured, Yamuna Nagar resident Vipul Garg was in his final year of CA while Vikas Beherwa was pursuing BCom first year at PGDAV College, relatives said. All five had become friends after meeting at ARD Complex, a PG hostel in RK Puram area, where they met often.
The Lancer car was registered in the name of Sanjiv Aggarwal, a resident of Sainik Farms but he claimed he had sold it to one DS Deswal. Deswal’s son, Nikhil, cops said, had gone to the birthday party as well and that was how Mayank had borrowed the car. Mayank’s friends, however, claimed he alone knew Nikhil.
It is still not clear who was behind the wheel. The cops are waiting for the statement of the injured students to establish the identity of the driver. Also, it is not known where the friends were going.