GURGAON: A 60-year-old man and his two grandsons — aged 8 and 10 — died after a Mahindra Thar ploughed into them on a dark stretch in Pataudi on Friday night. The boys, who were in town from Rajasthan’s Alwar to spend their school holidays with their grandfather, had stopped by the side of the road to answer nature’s call when the SUV rammed them at almost 80kmph.The three who died were Subhash (60), a daily wager from Khor village, and his grandsons Ishant (10) and Zaid Khan (8). According to police, the accident occurred around 10pm on Khor-Lokra road as the three were walking back home after visiting relatives.Subhash’s brother Saleem (42) lodged a police complaint, saying the trio had just left his house in Lokra when the black Thar struck them from behind. The force of the impact threw them off the road, leaving all three critically injured and oozing blood. The SUV eventually came to a halt after crashing into a tree on an unmetalled patch.CCTV footage from the area captured the sequence of events. It shows Subhash briefly stopping by the roadside, while one of the boys stepped aside. Moments later, as the grandfather gathered both children and stood with them at the edge of the road, the vehicle approached at high speed, failed to negotiate a turn, and slammed into them.The footage also showed the driver struggling to reverse the vehicle after the crash, apparently attempting to flee. After several unsuccessful attempts, he switched off the engine, stepped out, and lingered at the scene briefly before walking away into the darkness, abandoning the damaged SUV.Local residents rushed to help and informed the family. The victims were taken to a nearby govt hospital, where doctors declared them dead on arrival. Police teams on night patrol reached the spot soon after, secured the vehicle, and shifted the bodies for autopsy.The tragedy came as a shock for the family, compounded by the fact that the children had come to spend time with their grandfather during holidays. “We are shattered. Losing three family members in a single night, especially two innocent children, is something we cannot come to terms with. It was extremely difficult for us to inform their parents in Alwar. They reached here the next day and are completely heartbroken. The couple also has a four-year-old son,” said Sameer.Deepanshu (25), a resident of Goriawas village in Pataudi who was driving the Thar, was arrested. He works with an IT firm in Gurgaon. Officials said the vehicle had been seized and further legal action was underway.“We have taken the Thar into custody and are proceeding in keeping with the law,” police spokesperson Sandeep Turan said.An FIR was registered against the accused under relevant sections of BNS for rash driving and causing death due to negligence.
