Delhi hit-and-run: Couple in 70s flung into air after SUV hits them

A couple in their late seventies found themselves in a critical situation when an SUV struck them from behind in Kirti Nagar

NEW DELHI: A 79-year-old man and his 71-year-old wife were injured after an SUV allegedly hit them from behind near Arya Samaj Mandir in west Delhi’s Kirti Nagar Friday. CCTV footage showed that the driver got out of the car, checked on the injured couple and fled.

She was arrested later.The injured couple were identified as Dayanand and Kusum Tagra, residents of Kirti Nagar. They have been hospitalised and are recovering, police said. Their children are based in US. The accused was identified as 49-year-old Navleen Kaur, a homemaker and a resident of Kirti Nagar. Her husband is a businessman, said police.CCTV footage showed the elderly couple walking along the road when the grey SUV hit them from behind with considerable force.

The impact threw Dayanand onto the bonnet and he landed on his head. Kusum, who was using crutches, fell to the side.

Passersby rushed to help the couple. Dayanand, who had lost consciousness, can be seen lying in the middle of the road and bleeding from his head. The footage also showed the driver getting out of the vehicle after the collision. She appeared to check on the injured couple and was seen moving around the spot before allegedly getting back into the car and driving away.

Police said an FIR was registered at Kirti Nagar police station under sections 281 (rash driving or riding on a public way) and 125(a) (penalty for rash driving) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Police have impounded the vehicle.Kaur allegedly told police that she was driving home when she suddenly “blacked out”. Investigators are probing whether she was using her mobile phone at the time of the accident.Police are examining the CCTV footage and other evidence to reconstruct the sequence of events and establish whether any other factor contributed to the crash.