‘I panicked, knew only ...’: Woman driving BMW that killed FinMin official in Delhi

A day after a senior official of the Finance Ministry, Navjot Singh, 56, lost his life when a speeding BMW rammed into his motorcycle in the Delhi Cantonment area, police confirmed on Monday that the woman behind the wheel has been booked under sections of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and for tampering with evidence after the accident, The Indian Express reported.

Navjot, who was serving as Deputy Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs, was riding with his wife on Sunday afternoon when the luxury car struck them. The impact killed Singh on the spot while his wife sustained injuries.

The BMW was being driven by Gaganpreet Makkar, who was accompanied by her husband, Parikshit Makkar, and their two young children. According to the police, after the collision, the couple drove the victims nearly 19 km away to Nulife Hospital in GTB Nagar. Singh’s wife received treatment there and was discharged the following day.

Gaganpreet was arrested and presented before a duty magistrate on Monday, who sent her to judicial custody for two days.
“Asked why she did not take them to a nearby hospital, during questioning, she claimed she panicked, saying she knew only this hospital as her children were admitted there during Covid. The blood sample report to ascertain if she was driving under the influence is awaited,” a police officer was quoted by The Indian Express as saying.

However, police are also probing whether there are any links between the hospital owners and the accused’s family.

Questions over evidence and speeding

Police are waiting for her blood test report to confirm whether she was under the influence of alcohol or drugs while driving. Meanwhile, CCTV footage recovered from the accident spot shows the BMW first striking a divider at high speed, overturning, and then sliding several metres before smashing into the motorcycle. The impact pushed the bike into a blue DEVI bus.

According to the police, they never received a PCR call specifically reporting the accident. “We received three PCR calls, which were related to a traffic snarl. It was only when we reached the spot that we saw an accident had taken place,” the officer added.

Family background and case details

According to police, the BMW is registered in Parikshit Makkar’s name. The couple lives in Rajouri Garden, West Delhi. Parikshit runs a business dealing in horse leather saddles, seats, covers, and belts, while Gaganpreet’s father runs a grocery business in East Delhi.

The case has been lodged under sections 281 (negligent and rash driving), 125B (act endangering life or personal safety of others), 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 238 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender) at Delhi Cantonment police station.