Watchman dies after being run over twice by SUV in outer Delhi

New Delhi: An SUV driver assaulted a 60-year-old watchman with a stick, and then ran him over twice with his vehicle as the man fled, killing him, in Peeragarhi village on Sunday, police said. The deceased Bijender Bharadwaj, a resident of the village in outer Delhi, worked as a watchman at the tempo stand where the incident occurred.

Police said CCTV footage shows the vehicle waiting in one corner with its headlights on for a few minutes while the victim sat on a chair in the opposite direction. Detailing the sequence of events, police said a man stepped out of the vehicle carrying a large stick and attacked the victim without apparent provocation. As the victim tried to save himself, the accused returned to the SUV, ran him over once, and pushed him toward a corner, police said.

When the victim attempted to escape by running towards the main road, the accused again ran him over a second time, and fled the scene around 2:54 am, they said.  “CCTV footage in and around the area revealed that the deceased was run over twice by a four-wheeler,” the officer said.

The footage is being examined thoroughly to identify the vehicle and reconstruct the exact sequence of events and what led to the matter,” the officer said.

According to the FIR, the accused stepped out of the vehicle at around 2:52 am.

Police found skid marks at the scene during inspection, indicating the vehicle had braked before or during the incident.

The deceased’s relative said the victim had no enmity or dispute with anyone.

“We learned about the incident around 3:30 pm. My uncle has been working here as a security guard for one year. He was a simple man,” said Sunil Bhardwaj, the victim’s nephew.

“The police reached the spot and checked the CCTV footage, but the vehicle’s number plate is not visible in the footage,” he said.

The FIR also said that no eyewitnesses were found in the area, and efforts are underway to gather further evidence in the case.

The police said they are scanning CCTV footage from nearby roads, traffic intersections and commercial establishments to track the SUV’s movement.

Police said a case under sections 103(1) (murder) and 3(5) (common intentions) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been registered at Paschim Vihar West police station. Efforts are underway to ascertain its registration number and ownership details.

Multiple teams have been deployed to trace the accused driver and the vehicle involved, the police said. Forensic and other teams inspected the scene and collected forensic and technical evidence.

An analysis of CCTV footage indicated that the victim may have been deliberately targeted, a police officer told PTI, adding that they were probing all angles.

The police said a PCR call regarding the incident was received at around 4.03 am on Sunday, following which the local team rushed to the spot.

Bijender was found lying unconscious on the road and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was declared brought dead.