Ganesh Kendale
NOIDA: The 75-year-old daughter of Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Maharaj – the founder of Prem Mandir in Vrindavan – died and seven others, including two of her sisters, were injured when a truck crashed into their Toyota Camry and Innova Hycross on the Yamuna Expressway early on Sunday.
The accident occurred near ‘8km Mark’ of Dankaur around 4am. The truck driver fled the scene, leaving the vehicle behind.
Police said Vishakha Tripathi and the others were travelling from Mathura to her Dwarka home in Delhi when the truck crashed into their vehicles from behind.Those injured were her sisters – Krishana Tripathi (67) and Shyama Tripathi (69) – their driver Sanjay Malik (57) from Pratapgarh; and acquaintances Hansha Patel (56), Kashmira Patel (53), and Januka Khadka (40), all residents of Mathura; and Deepak Patel (35) from Delhi.
Arvind Kumar, ACP (Greater Noida-3), said a passerby called to inform police about the accident.
A team reached the accident spot from Dankaur police station in a while and brought the occupants out of the mangled cars. All the passengers were taken to a nearby private hospital, where Vishakha succumbed to injuries during treatment and the others were admitted to the ICU. As their condition deteriorated, the injured passengers were transferred to a private hospital in New Delhi.
Police are trying to find out if reduced visibility because of fog caused the accident. There is speculation that the driver of the truck may have fallen asleep at the wheel. The stretch of the expressway where the accident occurred is not covered by CCTV cameras.
“We haven’t received any complaint yet, but have launched a comprehensive investigation to determine the cause of the accident. Preliminary probe suggests the truck driver may have fallen asleep. Three teams have been formed to apprehend him. We are analysing CCTV footage from nearby locations,” ACP Kumar said.
