Three minor boys were killed and another critically injured when a speeding truck hit their motorcycle on NH-27 near Bazaar Samiti Chowk in Darbhanga district early on Wednesday, with police examining CCTV footage to identify the vehicle and its driver.
The crash took place at about 4am under the Mabbi police station area on the Darbhanga-Muzaffarpur road. Police said all four teenagers, aged between 15 and 16, were travelling on a single motorcycle and were not wearing helmets. The truck allegedly ran over the motorcycle before fleeing the spot.
The deceased were identified as Faris, 15, Moh Istakhar, 15, and Altaf Niyaz, 16. All three lived in Momin Tola in Bakarganj, under Laheriasarai police station. The injured teenager, Moh Talf, 16, is undergoing treatment at a private hospital near Delhi Mor.
According to relatives, the boys had attended a religious programme at a mosque in Bakarganj and were returning home when the collision occurred. Mohammad Aqeel, the uncle of one of the deceased, said the four boys studied at a madrassa and belonged to the same locality. Their families, he said, did not know that they had taken a motorcycle and left during the night.
“The children left home without informing anyone. We learnt about the accident around 5.30am and were later called to Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital by the police. We identified the boys after reaching the hospital,” Aqeel said.
The accident site is nearly 8km from the teenagers’ neighbourhood. Relatives have demanded the immediate arrest of the truck driver and the tracing of the vehicle involved in the crash. The unidentified truck remains central to the police investigation.
Mabbi station house officer Roshan Kumar said investigators were checking CCTV footage from shops and other commercial establishments near the crash site to identify the truck. Police said the post-mortem examinations had been completed and that the bodies were handed over to the families.
Security was tightened at Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital after the bodies were brought there for post-mortem. Police personnel from six police stations were deployed to prevent any law-and-order situation. The investigation and efforts to identify the truck and its driver are continuing.
