Ghaziabad: A couple out for shopping on Rakshabandhan was crushed to death on Sunday when a truck crashed into their motorcycle from behind on NH-9 near Chhijarsi cut. They had chosen to go out on a relative’s bike instead of their car to avoid getting caught in the holiday traffic.Ashish Anand (36), a resident of Indirapuram, and his wife Neelam (32), originally from Baghpat, were on their way to the market when the truck hit them around 11.15am. The motorcycle became wedged in the truck’s front portion and was dragged for almost 100 metres before the heavy vehicle screeched to a halt. The couple were thrown off the bike and hurled into the air before they came under the truck’s wheels.Neelam’s brother Gaurav said the family had gathered for Rakshabandhan. “On Sunday morning, Ashish planned to go shopping with Neelam. Since he expected traffic jams because of the festive crowd, they decided to take my bike instead of their car,” he added.Passersby alerted police, but the truck driver fled, leaving the vehicle behind. The truck has since been taken into custody.Ashish worked for a private company, while Neelam was a dietitian at a private hospital. The couple married in March 2019.The couple left behind their five-year-old daughter. The child is currently with her maternal grandparents, who arrived from Meerut after the accident. Gaurav said she has not yet been told about her parents’ deaths. “We still don’t know how to tell the child that her parents are no more,” he said.Ashish had lost both parents as a child and was raised by his elder brother Ankur Sharma and other relatives. Ankur, who works for a company in Taiwan, has been informed and is expected to take one or two days to reach Ghaziabad.ACP (Indirapuram) Suryabali Maurya said both bodies were sent for autopsy. “The truck has been taken into custody and a search is on for the driver and owner,” he added. The vehicle was found to be registered in Hoshiarpur in Punjab. Police are obtaining CCTV footage from cameras around the spot to establish the sequence of the crash. A case will be registered and further action taken after the family files a complaint.
