Driver arrested in seven-year-old hit-and-run case; Kerala police criticised for FIR delay

The driver of the automobile was detained by the police on Wednesday, one day after a seven-year-old kid was struck by a car in Kuttamassery, close to Aluva. Ernakulam Rural Police Chief Vaibhav Saxena has instructed Aluva DySP A Prasad to look into any instances where the police may have been reluctant to file a complaint.

The driver, Shaan, a resident of Nedumbassery, had ran over Nishikanth, the son of Prajith, a resident of South Vazhakulam, and had left the scene. Due to damage to his essential organs, the kid is now on a ventilator.

CCTV video helped the police identify the car, and 13 hours after the event, they filed a formal complaint. The lady living in Kaloor, Kochi, had her name registered on the automobile that was involved in the event. Shaan was operating the vehicle while traveling to Thodupuzha for work, the car’s owner reported to the Aluva Police.

Shaan acknowledged that he was operating the vehicle. There is a record of his arrest, according to the Aluva DySP.

Tuesday morning at 9.45 a.m., Nishikanth was riding in his father Prajith’s autorickshaw when the tragedy happened. When the autorickshaw got close to Kuttumassery’s Prism Clinic, Nishikanth lost his balance and fell down the road. Shaan’s automobile was lagging behind the autorickshaw, crushing Nishikanth under the wheels. “The automobile ran over my kid and did not stop. After transferring him to a private hospital, I phoned for help. He had damage to his liver and kidneys. Additionally, there was cerebral hemorrhage, according to Prajith.

He claims that the hospital’s authorities notified the police of the accident before midday, but it wasn’t until after 5 p.m. that he received a call from an Aluva police station officer.

“As soon as the accident happened, I instructed my buddies to gather CCTV footage from the area around the scene. I informed the policeman that my kid had been struck by the automobile when they got in touch with me. Exasperated, the policeman asked me whether I had seen the event. I informed him I had the video from the CCTV. The policeman, however, persisted in his argument. I had to speak out too after hearing this, Prajith remarked. Prajith contacted his friends, who notified the media about the occurrence, as the police did not initiate any action to begin an inquiry.

“Police officers from Aluva came to the hospital as word of the tragedy spread, taking my wife’s statement. By 11 p.m., the FIR had merely been filed. Prajith said, “We are just dissatisfied with the police’s delay. Tuesday night, when Vaibhav Saxena was in Thiruvananthapuram, he made quick contact with the police station upon learning of the event.

“I’ve been informed that the hospital sent out its initial notification around 2:30 p.m. By about 5:00 p.m., a police officer from the Aluva police station made contact with the child’s father. On the surface, there seemed to be no police error. But the Aluva DySP has been instructed to look for any errors. We’ll determine what to do next when the DySP issues a report,” he said.