High drama prevailed and traffic came to a standstill after a speeding dumper ran over a Zepto delivery partner riding a motorcycle just ahead of the Kherki Daula toll plaza on NH-48 on Thursday. The delivery partner died on the spot and the accused driver fled the scene, leaving the vehicle abandoned on the road.
According to the police, the deceased was identified as Anil Kumar (26), a native of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, who had worked for the grocery delivery company Zepto for two years. He was on his way to make a delivery around 8:00am on Thursday, carrying a Zepto bag. While on the way, he was struck by a dumper just ahead of the Kherki Daula toll plaza and the impact caused him to fall under the truck's tires.
Rahul, a delivery boy present at the scene said that the deceased was named Anil and was living alone in a rented accommodation in Gurugram. He had been working as a delivery boy for Zepto for two years.
After the accident, the dumper driver stepped out but fled the scene instead of rescuing the victim trapped beneath the tire. Within minutes, the delivery boy succumbed to his injuries. Another delivery boy passing by witnessed the accident, summoned his colleagues, and alerted the police and an ambulance.
After the police were notified, a fire brigade vehicle was the first to arrive. The ambulance and police team arrived much later, sparking anger among the delivery riders. They stopped the police personnel who were moving the body and created a commotion.
When a man who arrived in an ambulance attempted to retrieve the body from under the dumper, delivery riders chased him away and scuffled with him. Subsequently, police personnel present at the scene, along with their senior officers, reasoned with the riders, and the body was finally removed after three hours.
A large number of delivery personnel gathered at the spot. Angered over the delay in the ambulance’s arrival and the lack of police action, they created a commotion on the highway. This disturbance caused a traffic jam stretching over 3 km. Commuters remained stuck in the jam, as the incident coincided with the morning rush hour. Meanwhile, home delivery services were halted for two hours.
Delivery riders prevented the police from removing the body for three hours. Later, after reasoning with the riders, the police sent the body to the mortuary for a post-mortem examination and cleared the traffic jam.
A commotion caused by delivery riders led to a queue of vehicles forming on the NH-48 lane heading towards Manesar. A long traffic jam ensued, coinciding with the morning office rush. However, a police team cleared the traffic after a short while.
“A police team was immediately dispatched to the scene after receiving the information. Some delivery riders were creating a commotion but were pacified after being reasoned with. The body has been removed from the site and sent for a post-mortem examination, and the family of the deceased has been informed. We are searching for the accused dumper driver and seized the vehicle,” said Inspector Krishan Kumar, SHO of the Kherki Daula police station.