Truck driver mows down girl, ploughs through police barricades, held after 60-km chase

Raipur: A 12-year-old girl was killed after being struck by a speeding truck in Chhattisgarh’s Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki district on Friday. The truck’s allegedly intoxicated driver then fled the scene, rammed through two police barricades, and led officers on a nearly two-hour, 60-km chase before being arrested near the Maharashtra border.The accused, identified as Devi Singh, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, allegedly drove the truck at speeds of up to 120 kmph after the accident in Gundardehi village, police said. He was eventually apprehended near Korkotti village after losing control of the vehicle while attempting to evade a police cordon.The victim, Poonam, a Class VI student, was standing by the roadside when the speeding truck hit her. She died on the spot.

Instead of stopping, the driver sped towards Mohla, triggering an immediate police pursuit.Police first set up barricades outside Mohla police station, but the driver allegedly crashed through the checkpoint and continued towards Manpur. A second blockade near the SDM office in Manpur also failed to stop him, as he again smashed through the barricades. Police personnel narrowly escaped being hit during the chase.

Videos showing the truck breaking through police barricades while patrol vehicles pursued it surfaced on social media and quickly went viral.The chase ended near Korkotti on the national highway when the driver lost control of the truck, which veered into a roadside ditch. Police arrested him at the scene. He sustained minor injuries and was admitted to Manpur Hospital.According to police, the accused appeared to be under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident.

A case has been registered against him, and the Maharashtra-registered truck has been seized.The girl’s death sparked protests in Gundardehi village, where residents placed her body on the road and blocked traffic, demanding strict action against the accused. The protest was called off after senior district officials assured the villagers that stringent legal action would be taken.