5 of family killed as speeding SUV fleeing police rams auto in Gwalior; driver critical

BHOPAL: Five members of a family were killed and four others, including two children, were injured after a speeding SUV allegedly trying to evade police rammed into an auto-rickshaw at Gwalior around 3am on Friday.According to SP Gwalior Dharmveer Yadav, the SUV had hit another vehicle near the bus stand shortly before the crash and was being followed by a Dial 100 police team.“It appears the driver was overspeeding to escape police in connection with the earlier accident. The SUV hit the auto from behind. The auto, which was overloaded, then crashed into a tree. Five people died in the accident,” Yadav told TOI.The victims were returning from Sheetla Mata Temple when the accident took place. The force of the collision flung the auto off the road into a neem tree, leaving it badly mangled.Local residents alerted police and ambulance services. The injured were rushed to hospital, where four were declared dead on arrival. One more later succumbed to injuries.The deceased have been identified as Indrajit alias Pappu Shakya (55), his wife Leela (52), Shubham alias Lali (30), his wife Shagun, and Preeti Kashyap (60), Shubham’s mother-in-law who had come from Meerut.The injured include Preeti (20), Shubham’s sister; Priyansh (5) and Aarav (6), Shubham’s sons; and Rajesh Kumar (28), the auto-rickshaw driver. Police said Rajesh sustained severe head injuries and remains in critical condition at the Trauma Center. The two children and a woman are undergoing treatment.Family members said the group, residents of Ghas Mandi area, had left home around 12.30 am for temple prayers and were on their way back when the crash occurred.The SUV driver, identified as Aman Sharma, has been detained and is undergoing medical examination. Police from Thatipur station have seized the vehicle. Its windshield was shattered and airbags had deployed, indicating the force of the impact.A case has been registered. Police are examining CCTV footage from nearby areas and verifying the sequence of events, including the earlier collision and the pursuit by the Dial 100 team. Further investigation is underway.