Gurgaon: A 63-year-old woman died and her husband suffered grievous injuries when a Toyota Fortuner mounted a footpath near Airia Mall on Sohna Road early on Sunday and ran over the couple as they slept. The SUV then crashed into a crane parked on the pavement. Its occupants allegedly abandoned the vehicle and fled.The deceased, Chiranji Devi, and her husband, Nathu Ram (66), had come to the city from Mahoba district in Uttar Pradesh on Oct 8 in search of work. Unable to find a place to stay, the couple had been sleeping on the pavement. Their son, Kailash Kumar, who works as a mason, filed a police complaint.The crash occurred around 6am. Preliminary investigation suggests the Fortuner was travelling from Badshapur towards Sohna when its driver lost control near the mall and veered onto the footpath. The impact triggered the SUV’s airbags.Witnesses told police that a young man and a woman were inside the vehicle and fled after the collision. A local alleged that the SUV was speeding and its occupants were drunk. Police said they were still probing if anyone was intoxicated and trying to find out who was behind the wheel.A team from Badshapur police station rushed the injured couple to hospital after receiving information about the crash. Chiranji succumbed to her injuries, while Nathu Ram remains under treatment.Police seized the damaged SUV and removed it from the spot using a crane. An officer said the Fortuner was registered in Gurgaon and a notice would be sent to its owner on Monday. The owner will be questioned to establish who was driving the vehicle.Police said they are scanning CCTV footage to reconstruct the crash and identify those inside the vehicle. A case was registered at Badshapur police station on the basis of the son’s complaint.
