A happy occasion turned grim for the Mattoo family in Gurugram when their only son, Sarthak Mattoo, died in a hit-and-run accident two days before his 34th birthday. The accident took place on Rajokri Expressway in southwest Delhi while the victim was traveling from his residence in Gurugram to his office in Noida for some work at 6:30 am.
The victim’s parents are now mourning the loss of their only son as the father demands strict action against the culprits – a pair of friends driving a Thar – who left the victim injured after overtaking him and ramming his motorcycle.
Helmet cannot be salvaged
Recalling the incident, Surender Mattu, the victim’s 66-year-old father, recalls how he bought an expensive helmet for his son to ensure his safety while travelling. “I bought him a very expensive helmet and promised him that he would always wear it to stay safe. He was wearing the helmet, but it couldn’t save him. Now what do I do?” The aggrieved father told news agency PTI.
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Despite all the odds, the father remained adamant that his son could have been saved if the accused had not left him stranded after the accident.
“Thanks to God, his phone was unlocked. The man checked the call logs and called one of Sarthak’s colleagues in the office. Then they informed us. By the time we came to know about him, he had died,” he added. “He could have been saved if the accused had not escaped and been immediately taken to the hospital.”
Then he remembered the couple’s last interaction with their son before he left for work that insincere morning. “We couldn’t even see him in the morning because he left for work without waking us up,” he recalls. “His mother usually checks on him every morning. We realized that he had already left because his bike was not there.”
“She is inconsolable,” he revealed, referring to the victim’s elderly mother. “She keeps asking me to bring our son back. What should I tell her? I can’t do anything.”
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The family, who belonged to the Kashmiri Pandit community, had flocked to Delhi in 1984 with the hope of building a better life.
“It was already difficult for us to leave our home and come here. And now my only child has been kidnapped from me. Mera guan beta chin liya (My little boy has been kidnapped from me),” Mattu said.
“I expect nothing less than justice. I want the accused to be behind bars and not released on bail immediately. I will run from pillar to post to make sure my son gets justice.”
Early morning accident
According to police reports, Mattoo was traveling to work in Noida early in the morning when the accident occurred. A PCR call was received at Vasant Kunj Police Station about a collision involving a motorcycle. The victim was rushed to the Indian Spinal Injury Center in Vasant Kunj, where he was declared dead on arrival, as HT had previously reported.
“During the investigation, we analyzed several CCTV footage and charted the route taken by the vehicle. We traced the alleged offending vehicle, a Mahindra Thar, which turned out to be registered in the name of a Bengaluru-based private company. We found that the SUV had been rented to Sagar Saha (29) who worked for the company and worked in Bengaluru,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (South West) Amit Goel revealed.
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Cops then picked up Saha who revealed that his colleague, Apoorv Singh, 30, from Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh was driving the car at the time of the accident.
The car has now been confiscated and Singh is now in police custody. A medical examination of the accused was conducted at Safdarjung Hospital. The incident is currently being investigated.
