Three minor boys died and another was critically injured after a truck hit their motorcycle on NH-27 near Bazaar Samiti Chowk in Darbhanga early on Wednesday, with police examining CCTV footage to identify the vehicle and its driver.
The crash took place around 4am in the Mabbi police station area on the Darbhanga-Muzaffarpur road. According to preliminary information reported by the Times of India, all four teenagers were travelling on a single motorcycle and none was wearing a helmet. The truck allegedly ran over the motorcycle before fleeing the scene.
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, identified as Moh Talf, 16, is receiving treatment at a private hospital near Delhi Mor.
The four boys were reportedly returning home from Bakarganj. Their families were unaware that they had taken the motorcycle and left during the night. Mohammad Aqeel, uncle of one of the deceased, told the Times of India that the families learnt about the crash at around 5.30am and were later called to Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital for identification.
“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 occurred nearly 8km from the teenagers’ neighbourhood. The identity of the truck and its driver had not been established when the report was published. Relatives have demanded the immediate arrest of the driver and the tracing of the vehicle involved in the collision.
Mabbi station house officer Roshan Kumar said police had launched an investigation and were examining CCTV footage from shops and other commercial establishments near the crash site. The footage is being used to identify the truck and establish the circumstances of the collision.
The bodies were brought to DMCH for post-mortem. Kumar said the post-mortem had been completed and the bodies handed over to their families. Police personnel from six police stations were deployed at the hospital as a precaution to prevent any law-and-order problem.
The crash has brought together several immediate road-safety concerns on a busy highway corridor: four teenagers travelling on one motorcycle, the absence of helmets, travel during the early morning hours and the failure of the truck to remain at the scene. Police action remains focused on identifying the vehicle through CCTV footage and completing the investigation.
