Three killed, six critical after speeding SUV runs over pedestrians in Jaipur

A drunk SUV driver allegedly hit multiple pedestrians and vehicles in a seven-km stretch here, leaving three people dead and six others seriously injured, police said Tuesday. As the vehicle moved from MI road to the narrow lanes under the Nahargarh police station area, the drunk factory owner mowed down people and vehicles on their way.

The driver first hit a scooty near the Santosh Mata Temple and then continued to drive recklessly, crushing those who had fallen on the road and ramming into more people and vehicles along the way, police said. The SUV even collided with vehicles parked outside the police station.

Police and locals managed to stop the vehicle when it got stuck in a narrow lane. The driver was detained on the spot. Additional DCP (North) Bajrang Singh Shekhawat said the driver, identified as Usman Khan (62), a resident of Rana Colony in Shastri Nagar, was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident.

"He lost control of the SUV and hit most of the victims in an area of about 500 metres near the Nahargarh police station," Shekhawat said. Those injured in the accident were Virendra Singh (48), Mamta Kanwar (50), Monesh Soni (28), Mohammad Jalaluddin (44), Deepika Saini (17), Vijay Narayan (65), Jebunnisha (50), Anshika (24), and Awadhesh Pareek (37).

All were rushed to Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital, where doctors declared Mamta Kanwar and Awadhesh Pareek dead. Virendra Singh later died on Tuesday morning.

Hospital authorities said the condition of the injured remains critical, and they have been admitted to the trauma ward of the SMS Hospital. Police said Khan owns a factory manufacturing iron beds in the Vishwakarma Industrial Area. A medical examination confirmed that he was heavily intoxicated at the time of the incident.

An FIR has been registered against the accused based on a complaint filed by the father of the deceased, Mamta Kanwar. Following the incident, tension spread in the area, and police from four stations were deployed on Nahargarh Road and nearby areas to maintain law and order.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published from PTI)