A speeding truck driver crushed an 11-year-old girl to death in Chhattisgarh and then led police on a dramatic 60-kilometer chase that lasted nearly two hours, ending just 6 kilometers from the Maharashtra border when the vehicle veered off the road, authorities said on Saturday.
The Incident and Immediate Response
The heavy vehicle struck the victim, identified as Poonam, in Gundardehi village under Ambagarh Chowki police station limits on the Rajnandgaon-Manpur road, killing her on the spot, according to Additional Superintendent of Police Pitambar Patel. The driver did not stop after the accident and sped toward Mohla in an attempt to escape.
Upon receiving information about the accident, police set up barricades outside the Mohla police station to intercept the truck. Despite police presence, the driver first rammed the rear of a parked truck near the station, crashed through the barricades, and sped toward Manpur, Patel said. Police personnel narrowly escaped being hit during the incident.
The High-Speed Chase
Police teams pursued the vehicle while another barricade was erected near the Sub-Divisional Magistrate office in Manpur. There, the driver again attempted to evade arrest by driving over the barricades and dragging them for some distance before entering Manpur town. The chase continued for nearly two hours, covering about 60 kilometers, with parts of the pursuit captured on video and going viral on social media.
The chase ended near Korkotti village, approximately 6 kilometers before the Maharashtra border, where the truck went out of control and veered off the road. Police then detained the injured driver, who was allegedly under the influence of alcohol, and shifted him to Manpur hospital for treatment, the official said.
Public Outrage and Legal Action
Meanwhile, villagers in Gundardehi staged a road blockade by placing the child's body on the road, disrupting traffic for nearly two hours. The protest was called off after senior police officials assured them of strict action. After the post-mortem examination, the body was handed over to the victim's family.
A case has been registered against the driver, and the truck, which bears a Maharashtra registration, has been seized, the official added. The incident has sparked renewed calls for road safety awareness and stricter enforcement against drunk driving in the region.
