Panchkula, March 28 — A speeding SUV crashed into a chemist shop in Sector 2 near Majri Chowk on Thursday afternoon, killing the 86-year-old shop owner and an 18-year-old boy.
The deceased were identified as Daulat Ram Goyal, a resident of Sector 21, Panchkula, and Navjot Singh from Kalyanpur village, Nalagarh, Himachal Pradesh.
According to police, the impact severed Daulat Ram’s leg, and he died on the way to the hospital. Navjot, who was pinned under the vehicle, also succumbed to his injuries despite being rushed for treatment.
Senior police officials said Navjot was traveling with his maternal grandfather and other relatives to Ramgarh village when they stopped for tea near the shop. His grandfather sustained injuries in the incident.
Eyewitnesses reported that a white Chandigarh-registered Mahindra XUV pulled over in the market. Three to four young men exited, and one of them, initially in the back seat, took the wheel. Moments later, the SUV suddenly accelerated, hit a motorcycle, and slammed into the shop.
While the other occupants fled, bystanders caught the car owner and handed him over to Sector-5 police. He is being interrogated as police search for the others involved.
Locals suspect the men were under the influence of alcohol, but police said this would be confirmed after a medical examination. CCTV footage from the scene has been seized and a first information report (FIR) is being registered.
Navjot, whose parents died a few years ago, had been living with his maternal grandfather
