Deputy commissioner of police (south west) Amit Goel identified the victim as Jaiwanti, a resident of Mehram Nagar, and the accused as Deepak, a resident of Mandoli, who was employed as the driver of the BMW by its owner. Police refused to share details of the owner.
According to her family, Jaiwanti was a contractual employee of the Delhi Cantonment Board and worked as a house help in the Mehram Nagar police colony.
Senior officers said the police control room received a call about the accident around noon. “A team of police personnel from Delhi Cantonment police station immediately reached the spot and found that the injured woman had already been shifted to DDU Hospital. She was declared dead on arrival at the hospital,” Goel said.
During the initial inquiry, police said it was revealed that Jaiwanti was crossing the road near Mehram Nagar police colony when she was hit by the speeding car. The driver allegedly fled the scene soon after the crash, police said. Locals who witnessed the accident took the woman to the hospital, where she was declared dead.
Her family said they were informed by locals about the accident, following which they blocked the road opposite the Mehram Nagar police colony, demanding the immediate arrest of the driver.
The family blocked the road for about three hours, police said. “After about two and a half hours, police came and informed us that the driver had been arrested and was at the police station,” Sandeep said.
Relatives of Jaiwanti said she was the primary breadwinner of the family and had been supporting her son and three daughters, all of whom are married. “Her husband passed away several years ago and her son works on and off. Who will run their house now? Sandeep should now get a permanent job and the family should receive a substantial compensation from the driver,” said Sonu Prajapati, 45, a relative.
Police said a case has been registered on charges of causing death by negligence and rash driving at Delhi Cantonment police station. “The driver of the vehicle, Deepak, was traced and arrested within two hours and further investigation is underway. His medical examination has been conducted to verify whether he was drunk at the time of the accident and those reports are awaited,” said a senior police officer.
Police said Deepak lives with his wife and children in east Delhi’s Mandoli. He has been working as a driver for the BMW owner for the last six months. He was returning from the airport and was alone in the car when the accident occurred, police said.
Hemani Bhandari is a Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in New Delhi, where she reports on crime, policing, governance and social issues. With over a decade of experience in journalism, she specialises in combining on-ground reporting with evidence-based storytelling to examine the human impact of public policy, law enforcement and urban governance. Over the years, she has reported extensively on major developments in the capital, including crime investigations, civic challenges, protests, and issues affecting vulnerable communities. As a Special Correspondent, she focuses on producing exclusive investigations, enterprise stories and long-form features that go beyond daily news cycles. She has a keen interest in using public records, official data and field reporting to uncover systemic issues and present complex subjects in an accessible manner. A graduate of the Asian College of Journalism, Hemani believes in rigorous, ethical and evidence-based reporting. She is passionate about investigative journalism and continuously seeks to expand her skills in data journalism, open-source investigations and digital reporting techniques.Read More
