14-yr-old aspiring cricketer killed by speeding car, accused arrested

NEW DELHI: A 14-year-old aspiring cricketer was on Sunday killed while his friend was critically injured after a speeding car hit their bicycle on Raj Nagar Extension Road, Ghaziabad.

The duo was returning from their regular morning cricket session.

Meanwhile, police have arrested the accused driver.

According to the police, the deceased has been identified as Samarth Tyagi, 14, and his friend Kunal, 15, who received severe injuries, is under treatment.

"The incident took place at around 7.30 am near Nandi Park on the Pusa Road. As stated by the locals, the two boys were on a bicycle when a speeding Swift Dzire car hit them from behind and dragged them for several meters.

The car, which the locals said seemed out of control, came to halt after ramming into a divider," said Vinod Kumar Pandey, Station House, Sihani Gate Police Station.

According to the locals, the car was overspeeding and after hitting the divider, the accused driver stepped out and tried to escape.

However, he was nabbed by the locals and handed over to the police.

"The locals, meanwhile, rushed the two to a nearby hospital where Samarth was declared dead on arrival and Kunal was admitted to the ICU. Locals nabbed the driver who was trying to run away," Pandey added.

According to the police, the driver has been identified as Akshat Agarwal, a native of Meerut who resides in Indirapuram.

During interrogation, Agarwal revealed that he was driving fast while heading back to Indirapuram and near the Pusa Road turn, he lost control of his car and hit the bicycle.

"A case of rash driving and causing death due to negligence has been registered against him under the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

CCTV footage from the vicinity of the spot is being checked to ascertain the sequence of incident," the officer informed.

Police have seized the vehicle. Samarth's body has been handed over to the family after a post-mortem examination.

Samarth was a class 8 student at Mother India Public school while Kunal, who is being treated in Yashoda Hospital, studies at Fatima School.

According to the deceased's father, the two had left home to play cricket like they used to every Sunday but this time his son never returned.

(With DNA inputs)