Dehradun Police used camera footage and broken car parts to track down the luxury SUV involved in a deadly hit-and-run incident on Wednesday. Using the car details, the police zeroed in on the 22-year-old suspect, Vansh Katyal, who had fled to Delhi after the crash left four labourers dead and two injured.
The city police formed multiple teams to track down the car after the incident came to light Wednesday night. They went through the footage from the automated number recognition cameras and found that the car had a Chandigarh number plate.
बुद्धवार शाम देहरादून के राजपुर क्षेत्र में हुए दर्दनाक सड़क हादसे का @DehradunPolice ने खुलासा करते हुए मर्सिडीज कार चालक वंश कत्याल को गिरफ्तार किया है। हादसे में चार लोगों की मृत्यु और दो लोग घायल हो गए थे। उपरोक्त के संदर्भ में श्री अजय सिंह, SSP देहरादून द्वारा दी गई बाइट। pic.twitter.com/zQUGGcvzuJ
— Uttarakhand Police (@uttarakhandcops) March 13, 2025
Ajay Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Dehradun said the broken parts from the car also helped them confirm it was a Mercedes. This helped narrow down their search to just nine Mercedes cars that were registered in Chandigarh and had passed through Rajpur in the past four days.
The police checked with the Mercedes showroom and a service centre in the city and found that the Mercedes-Benz GLS 400 was serviced there in November. The car was later found abandoned in a vacant plot with its front portion damaged.
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With more details from Chandigarh transport authorities, the police zeroed in on the car’s owner, Jatin Verma, Mr Katyal’s brother-in-law. Sharing details about the vehicle, Mr Singh said it was first bought in 2023 and sold to a second-hand car dealer after six months.
In July, Mr Verma bought the pre-owned car.
On Wednesday, Mr Katyal had taken the vehicle from his brother-in-law for a joyride. He was allegedly driving the car and his 12-year-old nephew was with him, said Mr Singh, adding that they have CCTV footage from a restaurant confirming this.
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They were returning home when the hit-and-run occurred on the Old Mussoorie Road. Four labourers were killed in the accident while two others riding a scooter were injured. The two injured are now out of danger, said the officer.
Sensing trouble, Mr Katyal arranged a two-wheeler and dropped his nephew home. He then fled to Delhi.
With ample evidence against the suspect, the police started questioning his family, including his minor nephew, about his whereabouts. They finally arrested him near the bus terminus in Dehradun when he was returning from Delhi.
NDTV News- Topstories