A 23-year-old hotel management student was charred to death when his car caught fire in West Delhi’s Todapur on Friday.
The incident occurred when the victim, identified as Sarang Dev Vats, was en route a Gurdwara around 5:30 am. Sarang lived with his family in Naraina Vihar and was pursuing hotel management from a private university. His family runs a restaurant in Paschim Vihar.
Eyewitness told the police that the Honda City car caught fire after hitting a road divider and a tree. Within minutes, the fire had engulfed the entire car.
“His car had a central locking system, which malfunctioned when the engine caught fire. He was trapped inside the vehicle and was charred to death,” a police officer said. A passerby made a call to the police control room, but failed to help due to the car’s locked doors. “Sarang’s burnt body was later taken to Safdarjung Hospital for post-mortem,” the officer added. He suffered 100 per cent burns in the incident.
The man who made the PCR call said that the car was being driven at a high speed. It was also claimed that the accident occurred as Sarang lost control over the wheels. A case under sections 279 (rash driving) and 304-A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code has been filed, but the eyewitness claimed that no other vehicle was involved in the accident.
“Some locals cycling in the area saw the speeding car. It hit a road divider, overturned on impact and then hit a tree. The car was completely burned within minutes,” the officer added.
The Delhi Fire Service (DFS) was also informed and a fire tender was sent to the spot. Sarang was pulled out from the car, but was declared dead on the spot.
