Woman driving BMW that killed finance ministry official held

NEW DELHI: Gaganpreet Makkad (38), who was allegedly behind the wheel of the BMW that fatally struck senior finance ministry official Navjot Singh (57) and critically injured his wife Sandeep Kaur (50) in Dhaula Kuan Sunday, was arrested after being discharged from hospital Monday.

Sections related to culpable homicide and destruction of evidence have now been added to charges of rash and negligent in the FIR. Police said they are probing why the victim was taken to Nulife Multi-Specialty Hospital, a small facility 22km away in GTB Nagar, instead of one nearby, and also if the hospital belonged to Makkad's relatives or acquaintances, as alleged by the victim's family.

DCP (Southwest) Amit Goel said during questioning, Makkad could not recall the cause of the accident, only that bystanders helped her and her husband Parikshit out of the car after it overturned. It was then she noticed the other couple lying injured on the road, she told police. At the time of the incident, their two children and a domestic helper were travelling with them.

While Makkad told police she sought help soon after the accident, Sandeep Kaur alleged in her statement: "I kept pleading with them to take us to the nearest hospital immediately, especially since my husband was unconscious. But the woman, who identified herself as Gaganpreet Makkad, ignored my requests and deliberately delayed medical help."

Kaur stated that earlier that day, she and her husband had visited Bangla Sahib Gurudwara, followed by a stop at Karnataka Bhawan in RK Puram. After lunch, they began their journey home to Hari Nagar in west Delhi on their motorcycle. She said just then, a blue BMW, being driven at a high speed, suddenly hit their motorcycle, throwing them onto the road.