A 19-year-old engineering student succumbed to injuries after falling off a speeding auto while attempting to resist a snatching bid in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad. The woman died on Sunday evening while receiving treatment as she suffered critical head injuries after being pulled by the wrist by two phone snatchers on board a two-wheeler.
The incident took place Friday afternoon on National Highway 9 (NH-9) near Masuri.
The victim was identified as Kirti Singh, a resident of Hapur and a first-year engineering student at a college near Crossings Republik near NH-9 was travelling in an auto when two men on a motorcycle snatched her mobile phone and fled the scene.
While trying to resist the snatching, Kirti fell down the speeding auto.
The woman was admitted at Yashoda Hospital in Nehru Nagar where the doctors said that she had lost a lot of blood and suffered subdural hematoma.
In a conversation with Times of India, Chief Medical Superintendent Sangeeta Garg said, “She was too critical when she was brought to the hospital on Friday evening. There was internal bleeding in the head and she had lost a lot of blood. We performed a surgery on Saturday, but could not save her. She passed away around 8 on Sunday.”
The victim’s father Ravindra Kumar, who is a loco pilot with the railways, lodged a police complaint, following which an FIR was registered against the two snatchers under Section 392 (robbery) of the IPC initially. After her death on Sunday, charges of murder charge was added to the FIR.
One of the accused – identified as Balbir was arrested from Govindpuri after a gunfight, on Saturday evening. Kirti’s phone, a pistol and a few cartridges were also recovered from him.
The other accused identified as Jeetendra who was riding pillion and pulled Kirti out of the auto, is still on the run.
A team of five members have been formed to arrest him.
Expressing grief over his daughter’s death, Kirti’s father as quoted by TOI said, “Kirti was our only daughter. Why did God take her away from us? I want the strictest punishment possible for the accused.”
The SHO of Masuri police station, Ravindra Chandra Pant has been suspended for negligence and two other cops were sent to police lines, in connection to the case.
Vivek Yadav, DCP (rural) told TOI that action was taken against the cops because no check-post had been set up on the stretch of NH9 that comes under the jurisdiction of Masuri police station. He further said, “This is not the first time that Pant has been found negligent. There are other complaints against him as well.”
