NEW DELHI: A 19-year-old first-year law student and his 50-year-old mother were on Tuesday arrested in connection with last week’s hit-and-run in south Delhi’s Greater Kailash-I that left a 41-year-old domestic help and cook dead.The incident took place on March 31 when Surendra Das, after buying bread from a nearby market, was returning on his motorcycle to the GK B-block house where he worked. He was allegedly hit by a speeding car, after which the driver fled.The accused driver, Ruhan Chadha, is a resident of a nearby block in GK. His mother, Niharika Chadha, runs a boutique from home and is the registered owner of the vehicle, a silver Maruti Ciaz. “She allegedly concealed evidence, attempted to have the vehicle repaired and harboured her son after the crash despite knowledge of the accident,” said DCP (South) Anant Mittal.A case under BNS sections 106(1) (causing death by negligence) and 281 (rash driving or riding on a public way) against Ruhan, and sections 238 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence or giving false information to screen offender) and 249 (harbouring offender) against Niharika has been registered at Greater Kailash police station.Another police officer said Ruhan was on a drive around the locality with a female friend at the time of the incident. “He was spotted by an unknown person, causing him to panic and drive the car in a rash and negligent manner,” the officer said, adding that the duo was not intoxicated when the accident took place.Ruhan had received his driving licence in Jan this year, the officer said.Initial footage from the spot had yielded only the last four digits of the car’s registration number, along with the detail that it bore a Delhi number plate. With limited leads, the investigating officers expanded the search radius and began mapping the possible escape route. The car had come from inside B block and allegedly fled through the main front gate. Cops found that the accused had moved towards the Archana traffic signal, then towards the Kailash Colony metro station, and later returned home.Based on the partial registration number and vehicle make, police obtained data on suspected vehicles from the transport department. These vehicles were then physically verified at their registered addresses. Owners were subsequently questioned and vehicles inspected for signs of damage. Police said to evade detection, Ruhan had allegedly hidden the car in nearby Zamrudpur. The car was later seized in a damaged condition.Meanwhile, Das’s family members demanded that either monetary compensation be provided for his children’s education, or strict punishment be given to the accused. Das, who lived in Zamrudpur, is survived by his wife Meena Devi and their three children — Preeti, Amit and Ritesh. Preeti studies in Class XII while Amit and Ritesh are in classes X and IX.“He was the only earning member of the family. I now have to look after my children and secure a better future for them,” Meena Devi told TOI. “He has three young children. Who will take care of them now?” asked Das’s younger brother, Nilesh Kumar.
