"The accident happened at around 11:30 am on 22 August. The FIR was registered after 10 pm. And it doesn't mention Vikas Malu's name. What explains this?" asked Jitendra Kumar, son-in-law of Rampreet, the oil tank truck driver who died in a crash with the Kuber Group Director's Rolls-Royce on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway last week.
The fatal accident took place near Umri village in Haryana's Nuh when a Rolls-Royce Phantom, reportedly speeding at 230 kmph, rammed into the oil tanker. According to the First Information Report (FIR), the luxury car caught fire while the truck overturned due to the impact of the collision.
The FIR – a copy of which has been accessed by The Quint – only mentions the number plate of the Rolls-Royce, but does not mention who it belongs to. The police, however, maintained that they followed due procedure in registering the complaint.
The three occupants of the Rolls-Royce – including Malu – were injured and rushed to a Gurugram hospital. Meanwhile, the truck driver Rampreet and his helper Kuldeep succumbed to their injuries.
A purported video of the fatal crash – which has been circulated widely on social media – shows the luxury car speeding before it loses control and hits the oil tank truck in the middle lane.
"I have the video on my phone. Par kholkar dekhne ki himmat nahi hai (But I can't muster the strength to open and watch it)," said Amardeep, the younger brother of Kuldeep.
'We Picked Up the Body, Wrapped It in a Chaadar'
Jitendra, who is married to Rampreet's second daughter Mona, said he received a call that his father-in-law had died in an accident, after which he rushed to the spot.
"I saw the video. Pitaji aise pade the jaise bikhar gaye ho (Father was lying there as if his body was broken to bits)," Jitendra said as he fought back tears.
He alleged that no one from the authorities helped his family and that they have still not received Rampreet's post-mortem report or death certificate.
The 58-year-old had been driving trucks for over 30 years and had been working with APCO Infrastructure Pvt Ltd for the last two years. A resident of Bela Parsa village of Ambedkar Nagar in Uttar Pradesh, Rampreet is survived by his wife Pratapi Devi, three daughters, and three sons.
"We picked up his body. We wrapped it in a safed chaadar (white sheet) and brought it home from Nuh. The family is struggling to come to terms with this tragedy," Jitendra told The Quint.
He added that although the company helped arrange for an ambulance to get Rampreet's mortal remains from Nuh to Ambedkar Nagar, they haven't yet offered any financial compensation for their loss. The Quint reached out to APCO Infrastructure Pvt Ltd on email – and is awaiting their response. The article will be updated as and when they write back.
'Lost Sole Breadwinner; Police Reluctant To File FIR'
Meanwhile, nearly 100 kilometres away from Ambedkar Nagar, Kuldeep's family in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya is mourning the loss of the sole breadwinner of his family.
Kuldeep, 35, had been working with APCO Infrastructure Pvt Ltd since 2010 and used to supervise the filling of diesel in oil tank trucks. He has three schoolgoing daughters – and the youngest is five.
"The police were not keen on filing the FIR. This is when we contacted Muneel Yadav, who was travelling with them," Amardeep alleged.
The FIR was registered at Nagina police station in Nuh at around 10.10 pm based on the statement of Muneel Yadav. The Quint reached out to Muneel, but he declined to respond.
"I was accompanying my plant's diesel tanker on the Delhi-Mumbai highway. It was around 11:30 am when a speeding Rolls-Royce Phantom came and rammed into the front tire of the truck. As a result, the driver lost control and the truck overturned," Muneel had alleged in the FIR.
Muneel also claimed that the three occupants of the Rolls-Royce managed to climb out of the car before it caught fire.
"Soon after, another car arrived and the three left towards Delhi," he stated in the FIR.
Assistant Sub Inspector Ashok Kumar, who was investigating the case before it was transferred to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the Nuh Police, told The Quint that the police followed due procedure – and that there was no delay in registering the FIR.
"We cannot begin the proceedings until the families of the victims arrive. We filed the complaint on the basis of eyewitness Muneel Yadav's statement and incorporated whatever information was available at the moment," Kumar said. He added that it was confirmed only the next day that the Rolls-Royce belongs to Malu.
'Got To Know From News That Car Belonged To Vikas Malu'
Amardeep, too, said that he wasn't initially aware that the luxury car belonged to Malu.
Both Jitendra and Amardeep have demanded strict punishment for the culprits and compensation, so that the education of the deceased’s children doesn't get disrupted.
"We belong to a humble household. Our father was a hard-working man. He was working at this age because he wanted to see his children educated and settled," Jitendra said.
He added that the "fight" for justice is going to be "difficult," and that he will need support from the authorities.
Over a week after the accident, Amardeep alleged to The Quint that no one from the police or the government has approached their family yet.
"We got to know from the news that the Rolls-Royce belonged to the Kuber Group CMD. Then someone told us that they are high-profile people," Amardeep, who works in an electrical shop in Azamgarh, said dejectedly.
The Nuh Police had on Friday, 25 August, served a notice to Kuber Group's Malu to join the investigation into the accident after he was discharged from the Gurugram hospital, where he is currently undergoing treatment.
Malu's counsel RK Thakur alleged to Hindustan Times that his client was in the rear seat of the Rolls-Royce while his driver Tasbir was behind the wheel.
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