Late-night ride for dinner in Murthal ends in tragedy for three men

New Delhi, Oct 22 (PTI) For the family of 27-year-old Sumit, who was soon to be married and was the main breadwinner of his family, a call from a stranger in the early hours of Wednesday left them shattered.

Sumit was lying in a pool of blood along with his two friends near a damaged Royal Enfield (Bullet) motorcycle at Delhi's Libaspur flyover, they were informed.

The three would often go out together and were returning from Haryana's Murthal after dinner when their motorcycle rammed into an unmarked Jersey barrier, according to police.

"All three died on the spot. They were not wearing helmets," said a police officer The other two deceased were identified as Mohit (26) and his cousin Anurag (23).

Sumit's uncle, Ankit Sharma (37), told PTI that they were woken up by a call from a stranger in the early hours of Wednesday.

“The person saw them lying on the road and called us from his phone, informing us that he (Sumit) was lying on the road in a pool of blood. For a second, his parents thought it was a bad dream. But soon we all realised that our lives had turned into one,” he said.

Sumit, who was a B.Com graduate and had a private job, was about to get married. Everything was decided, and we were just finalising the last details. Little did we know that he would leave us so soon,” his uncle said in a choked voice.

Sumit is survived by his mother, father, two younger sisters -- one of whom is married and the other had just started working -- and a younger brother aged around 19 years who lost a hand five years ago in an accident.

“He was the main breadwinner of the family and was working very hard to provide for them. They were dependent on him financially, and his younger brother is still studying. Now the future looks so uncertain,” the relative said.

He said that the three men had been friends for a long time and had gone to Murthal for dinner at around 10 PM on Tuesday. “They were very close to each other and used to go out together,” he said.

Murthal, located along the Delhi-Ambala Highway, is known for its popular dhabas (roadside eateries).

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the victims were returning from Haryana’s Murthal after dinner when their speeding motorcycle hit a concrete Jersey barrier placed on the flyover. None of the three was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer North) Hareshwar Swami said in a statement.

The officer added that a case has been registered under sections 281 (rash driving) and 106(1) (causing death by negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Further investigation is underway to ascertain whether the absence of reflectors or warning signs on the Jersey barrier contributed to the crash.

Police said the investigation is ongoing and efforts are being made to determine if poor road signage or lack of lighting played a role in the fatal crash. PTI SSJ RT