3 Delhi friends returning from Haridwar killed in SUV crash near Meerut; 1 in ICU

Meerut: Three friends from Delhi’s Karawal Nagar were killed and one was critically injured after their SUV crashed near Sakauti overbridge on the Delhi-Haridwar National Highway in Meerut early Tuesday, police said.Police said the Delhi-registered SUV flipped multiple times and fell into a roadside ditch following a tyre burst while the group was returning from Haridwar. DSP Shiv Thakur said prima facie, the vehicle was speeding and the driver may have dozed off before failing to notice a bend on the road. “The victims’ mobile phones were locked, delaying their identification. The vehicle’s registration details were used to identify them,” Thakur said.The accident took place around 6am in Daurala police station limits. Locals pulled out all four occupants and took them to a nearby hospital, where two were declared dead. Police said Nitesh Sharma, 27, Ashutosh Mishra, 31, and Shailendra Bhardwaj, 36, died in the accident, while Mithun Chauhan, 28, was admitted to ICU.Ashutosh’s father Santosh Mishra told TOI that his son had left for Kainchi Dham in Nainital district four days ago with friends. “We were in regular touch and he said that they would return after taking a holy dip in Haridwar,” he said. Ashutosh, the eldest of three siblings, worked as a marketing executive at a private firm in Delhi, while his father is in the property business. Nitesh had recently joined his family business, while Shailendra was a private contractor.Mithun’s elder brother Rakesh Chauhan said he suffered critical head and spine injuries. “He underwent surgery and is still unconscious,” he said.