Mercedes hit-and-run: video of accident surfaces

New Delhi, April 7: A CCTV grab of the Civil Lines hit-and-run incident shows that the 33-year-old victim was flung at least 15 metres into the air after being knocked by a speeding Mercedes allegedly driven by a minor.

The nearly 1 minute 20 seconds-long clip of the Monday's incident, shared with the media by victim Siddhartha Sharma's relatives, shows him trying to cross a clear road near a traffic intersection and later running towards the pavement as he sees the approaching car.

Shortly after that, Sharma can be seen standing still and then taking a step back when he is hit by the car driven at a speed of above 80 Km per hour and flung at least 15 metres into the air, out of the frame of the video.

Passersby later saw a group of youths stepping out of the car and fleeing the scene, leaving the vehicle there. Police rushed the marketing executive to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. They later found out the car belongs a businessman living in a posh Civil Lines apartment.

Later, the businessman's driver approached police and allegedly claimed that he was driving the car but changed his statement when he got to know that Sharma was dead. Police recorded eyewitnesses' accounts and scanned dozens of CCTV grabs to ascertain the identity of the errant driver, who turned out to be the businessman's 17-year old son.

The boy was apprehended on Tuesday and later released on bail as per legal provisions. Yesterday, police challaned the businessman under Motor Vehicles Act for handing over the vehicle to his minor son. Senior officials also said the charge sheet will also include the name of the businessman's driver for allegedly trying to mislead investigators.

PTI