At least three homeless people were killed and two others injured when a truck ran over them while they were sleeping on the median of a road near Tarbuz Market near Shastri Park metro station in northeast Delhi in the early hours of Monday, police said. The truck driver fled, abandoning the vehicle.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northeast) Joy Tirkey said the number of dead homeless people was not yet known. He added that the injured were identified as Mohammad Mushtaq (35), a resident of Shastri Park, and Kamlesh (36, single name), a resident of Gandhi Nagar.

Tirkey said police were informed about the accident at 5 am and a response team was sent there. He added that the truck was coming from the Seelampur side when it veered off and ran over people sleeping on the roadside. “The injured were taken to Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital where three of them were declared dead. Their identities are currently being ascertained. The other two injured are undergoing treatment. The truck driver, whose identity is also unknown, is absconding,” Tirkey said.

A first case report was filed against the unidentified driver under sections 281 (reckless driving), 106 (causing death by reckless negligence) and 125A (reckless or negligent act causing hurt or endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The truck was seized.

An investigator said whether the truck driver was drunk or nodded off while driving could not be determined until he is caught and questioned. “A mechanical inspection of the truck will also be conducted to determine if a fault with the brakes or steering led to the accident,” the investigator said.