'I know you'll let them go': Thar hit-and-run victim Sarthak Mattoo's parents flag '50-hour delay'; Delhi Police deny lapse

NEW DELHI: The family of 34-year-old Sarthak Mattoo, who was killed in a hit-and-run near the Rajokri flyover in southwest Delhi last week, has accused Delhi Police of failing to act swiftly and allowing the accused to "slip away", even as police denied any delay in the investigation or medical examination of the suspects.In an emotional statement, Sarthak's mother, Anuradha, alleged that she had little faith in the investigation from the outset."I told them bluntly, 'I know you people will let them go; you won't catch them. They'll slip away and flee, and you won't do a thing,'" she said, recalling her interaction with police officers after the crash.She also accused the police of initially refusing to share CCTV footage and failing to publicise photographs of the suspects quickly enough to aid their identification."I told them if they had cooperated with the media and flashed the photographs of those boys, everyone would have known they were the culprits," she said.

Sarthak's father, Surender Mattoo, alleged that the SUV which struck his son was travelling at around 110-120 kmph and was attempting to overtake another vehicle from the left when it entered Sarthak's lane and rammed into his motorcycle near the Rajokri flyover.

"They knocked him down, left him lying on the road and fled the spot," he said.Questioning the police investigation, Surender said the accident occurred on the morning of June 25, but he was informed only around 10 pm on June 26 that the accused had been apprehended."The police already had the vehicle's registration number because an eyewitness had photographed the SUV and shared it with them. Despite having that information, it took them nearly 40 to 50 hours to identify and apprehend the accused.

What happened during all those hours? Why did it take so long?" he asked.

The family has also alleged that the blood samples were collected too late to establish whether the driver was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash.Delhi Police, however, rejected the allegations of delay.Southwest Delhi DCP Amit Goel said the medical examination was conducted immediately after the accused were apprehended."There was no delay in the medical examination. As soon as they were caught, the medical was done," Goel said. "The intoxication aspect will now be determined through the forensic report."What happenedSarthak, 34, an employee at a Gurugram-based event management company, was riding from DLF Gurugram to Noida for work around 6:30 am on June 25 when a Mahindra Thar allegedly rammed into his motorcycle near the Rajokri flyover on the Delhi-Gurugram Expressway. The occupants allegedly fled without taking him to a hospital. A passerby found him, unlocked his phone and contacted a colleague using the call log; by the time his family was informed, Sarthak had died.Arrest madePolice arrested 30-year-old Apurv Singh, a resident of Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, on Saturday. The Karnataka-registered Thar was traced to a Bengaluru-based company and had reportedly been leased to Sagar Saha, 29, who investigators say was in the passenger seat while Singh was driving. A case has been registered under Section 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for causing death by negligence.Sarthak's father said his son's death came two days before his 34th birthday, and described him as the couple's only child. The family, belonging to the Kashmiri Pandit community, had moved to Delhi in 1984.