Chandigarh: In a tragic turn of events, another victim of the horrific collision involving a speeding BMW and a motorcycle in Punjab's Mohali, has succumbed to his injuries at PGI Hospital in Chandigarh Sector 32. This brings the death toll from the incident to two. The second victim has been identified as Sumit Singh, a resident of Pabhat village.

The fatal crash occurred on Wednesday night when a youth lost his life and two others sustained severe injuries after the speeding luxury car, reportedly traveling from Banur, collided with the motorcycle on the Zirakpur-Patiala Highway. The impact of the collision left the bike trapped between a parked truck and the car.

The youth who died soon after the acciden was identified as Sahib. Meanwhile, Sumit and Rajveer Singh both residents of Pabhat village and were undergoing treatment. Following the accident, the victim's family blocked the Patiala Highway in protest.

Glaring lapse on BMW's owner?

A conflicting information has come to light regarding the ownership of the BMW car involved in the tragic hit-and-run incident  While Punjab Police initially asserted that the accused, Prateek Sharma, was the second owner of the vehicle, subsequent investigations have raised doubts about this claim. 

Prateek Sharma allegedly confirmed to the police that he purchased the BMW car second-hand. However, data from the Regional Transport Office (RTO) contradicts his statement, revealing that Sharma is, in fact, the first owner of the BMW car. 

This glaring discrepancy suggests a potential lapse in the verification process by the Punjab Police, who issued a statement without conducting thorough checks.

The Tragic Incident

Police said that the three friends were on their way to buy a cake for a friend's birthday around 11:15 PM when the accident occurred. As they turned from Lohgarh towards Banur, a speeding BMW from Patiala Chowk struck them, causing their bike to crash into a stationary truck.

Passers-by helped the police in rushing the teenagers to a nearby private hospital, from where they were referred to GMCH, Sector 32, Chandigarh. Unfortunately, Sahib did not survive, while his friends were under observation.

Car driver out on bail

The driver of the BMW has been booked under Sections 279, 304-A, 337, and 338 of the Indian Penal Code at the Zirakpur police station.

"The car driver was arrested and later granted bail," Zirakpur SHO Jaskanwal Singh Sekhon said.

This incident highlights growing concerns over rash driving, reminiscent of a recent Pune case where a drunk super rich brat driving a Porsche Taycan killed two young techies. According to the Transport Ministry, India recorded 67,000 hit-and-run incidents and over 30,000 related deaths in 2022.