A speeding car rammed into a road divider and smashed through barricades, narrowly missing three traffic policemen on Monday, officials said. The driver who was allegedly in an inebriated state has been arrested.
According to police, the car, which was coming from the wrong side of the road, ignored repeated stop signals from the traffic personnel who were conducting checks for drunk driving.
Instead, it rammed into a divider, smashed through the barricades and continued to speed away, narrowly missing three on-duty officers.
"The car was being driven recklessly. The driver and his co-passenger, both residents of Noida, were found to be heavily intoxicated. A medical test confirmed the presence of alcohol in their systems," said the officer.
The incident, which occurred around 2:04 am, created panic in the area as the sound of the crash drew nearby locals and bystanders to the scene.
Police teams immediately chased and managed to intercept the vehicle after a brief pursuit. Both the driver and the co-passenger were overpowered and taken into custody.
An FIR has been registered under 281 (rash driving), 324(4) (mischief causing damage), and Section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act (driving under the influence of alcohol). The vehicle has been seized, and further investigation is underway.
Sources in the police said that this could have turned into a tragic incident. The impact of the vehicle was very high and the accused were trying to flee and were trying to avoid any police action.
Several videos of the incident surfaced on social media platforms showing the damaged car came with shattered window glass and front windshield.
A man who was recording the video was also seen asking the co-passenger and the driver about the accident who were hiding their faces in the custody of police personnel.
"I was not behind the steering. I had asked the driver to drive slowly. But he was not paying any attention," one of the accused was heard saying in the video.