Murder? SUV hit youths in third try, after 3km chase in Lucknow

LUCKNOW: Police investigation into Wednesday’s hit-and-run case, which left two youths dead and a third critically injured in Indiranagar, is veering away from accident and towards murder.
After scanning footage from over 40 CCTV cameras, police have more or less formed the opinion that the SUV deliberately knocked down the three youths on a scooter.While Pawan Singh (22) and Tushar Singh (23) died on the spot, their friend Himanshu (24) is battling for life in hospital.
Gazipur circle officer Deepak Singh on Saturday told TOI that the SUV was chasing the scooter from Munshipulia and was successful in hitting target in its third attempt.
Findings of the preliminary probe corroborate suspicions of Pawan’s family who lodged a murder FIR, saying a group had attacked the youth with an iron rod on August 8, over a dispute involving a girl, and its members might have orchestrated the road accident.
Police investigations have revealed that Pawan left his house with Tushar around 6.30pm on Wednesday. They were seen at a food corner in Munshipulia around 7.30pm. They left 30 minutes later, but returned around 9pm along with Himanshu.
Around 9.15pm, Pawan’s mother called him and he told her he would be home soon. Fifteen minutes later, the three left the hangout and bought liquor from a nearby store. It is from there that the SUV began following the scooter. The hit-and-run took place near Aurobindo Park, some 3km away, around 10pm.
“Footage from one camera shows the victims speeding on the wrong lane. It indicates they knew they were being followed. They were trying to get the SUV off their tail,” circle officer Singh said.
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“The SUV tried to hit the scooter twice. On one occasion, a girl on a scooter came in front of the SUV and hence, it had to slow down. The SUV managed to hit the scooter in the third attempt,” the officer said.
Police are scanning CCTV cameras installed near the liquor store to check if the victims were involved in a brawl. “The other possibility is that the attack was the fallout of an earlier dispute. We are waiting for Himanshu to make a statement and shed light on the matter,” Singh added.