Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Nov 13: A young woman was killed after a high-speed Volkswagen Virtus allegedly travelling at around 200 kmph crashed into a wall inside the Dwarka Expressway airport tunnel in Delhi, triggering a fire and raising concerns over reckless driving.
According to police, the modified car was travelling at nearly 200 kmph, far exceeding the prescribed speed limit of 80 kmph inside the tunnel. The driver, identified as Singh, allegedly recorded videos and photographs of the car's speedometer and shared them with friends through Snapchat shortly before the accident.
Police are attempting to retrieve the videos and photographs as part of the investigation.
CCTV footage from the tunnel reportedly showed the car speeding at a very high velocity before crashing near a turn connecting the tunnel to NH-48.
The impact was so severe that the vehicle's engine was ripped out and thrown some distance away, where it caught fire. Singh was trapped inside the mangled vehicle and died at the spot.
Police said Singh was driving a luxury car belonging to a friend. He had reportedly travelled to Ludhiana to meet his girlfriend and was returning to Gurugram on Diwali morning.
Investigators have recorded statements from security personnel deployed at the tunnel, other motorists and eyewitnesses who were present at the scene.
The Delhi Police is investigating the accident. Singh's body was sent for a post-mortem examination and later handed over to his family. His mother, who works as a teacher, resides in Bihar, officials said.
The Dwarka Expressway airport tunnel has a maximum permissible speed limit of 80 kmph, while the entry of two-wheelers, auto-rickshaws, tractors, non-motorised vehicles and tankers carrying inflammable substances is prohibited.
In a similar incident in Kerala's Thrissur district, eight people, believed to be engineering students from neighbouring Tamil Nadu, were killed after their car collided with a parked lorry on National Highway 66 at Panambikkunnu in Kaipamangalam in September.