Kolkata: Three persons, including a couple from Airport Gate No 3, were killed and two others seriously injured after one of two cars racing each other crashed into a bike and overturned on Kalyani Expressway near Barrackpore Wireless More in the early hours of Saturday.Police said three, including a couple in an SUV and a biker, were killed and two others seriously injured in the accident caused by reckless driving on Kalyani Expressway near Barrackpore Ambagan.According to sources, a Hyundai Verna and a Mahindra Thar were travelling from Sodepur towards Naihati along Kalyani Expressway at high speed. “The two cars were racing each other when their drivers lost control at Barrackpore Ambagan near Wireless More and rammed into three to four vehicles parked along the roadside. A stationary bike was also crushed in the collision. After hitting the bike, a car also overturned,” a local trader said.According to police, the impact was so severe that the vehicles were badly mangled. Police and rescue personnel rushed to the spot and launched rescue operations.Police said that Arindam Goswami (39) and Sangeeta Guha Goswami (33), a couple residing near Gate No 3 of the airport, who were in the car that overturned, died in the accident. Vishal Sharma, a biker from Maheshtala in Kolkata, also lost his life. Two other motorcycle riders sustained serious injuries.The injured were taken to Barrackpore’s BN Bose Sub-Divisional Hospital, where doctors declared the three victims dead.The accident has once again highlighted concerns over reckless driving on Kalyani Expressway, particularly during the night and early morning hours when traffic is relatively light. Locals alleged that some motorists take advantage of the relatively empty, wide road to drive at dangerous speeds, often treating it like a racetrack.“The other car, which was also allegedly racing against the victims’ SUV, fled the spot immediately after the accident. We are also searching for the vehicle,” a senior officer of the Barrackpore Commissionerate said.A traffic police officer said cameras monitor speed limits during the day and fines are imposed on violators. “However, the need for regular night-time and early-morning surveillance, stricter action against speeding motorists and greater public awareness has once again come to the fore,” the officer said.According to reports, four people have died in separate high-speed accidents on Kalyani Expressway over the past two to three days. “The back-to-back incidents have heightened public concern, particularly during the Durga Puja season, when both vehicular traffic and public movement increase significantly,” a local resident said.
