Greater Noida horror: Thar drags burning motorcycle for 7km after fleeing fuel station without payment

The Thar driver - Harsh - has been taken into custody and the car impounded. (Courtesy: ANI)

A speeding Mahindra Thar went on a rampage in Greater Noida after crashing into a motorcycle and dragging it along the road for about 7 kilometres.

The accused driver initially stopped at a petrol pump in Greater Noida's Dhum Manikpur to refuel his black SUV with diesel but drove off without paying. According to police, the fuel station staff then pursued him on a motorcycle and during the ensuing chase, the Mahindra Thar rammed into the bike.

Petrol pump staff Kuldeep Sharma's motorcycle got stuck under the SUV. Instead of stopping, the Thar driver continued to drag the entangled motorcycle for some 7 kilometres. The intense friction from being dragged caused the motorcycle to catch fire.

"On 27 February, a Thar driver attempted to flee without paying for the petrol in the Thana Badalpur area. The petrol pump salesman chased the vehicle, after which the Thar driver hit him, causing his motorcycle to fall and injuring him," said Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP) for Central Noida, Rajendra Kumar Gautam.

Locals screamed and tried to alert the Thar driver, identified as 22-year-old Harsh, but he chose to kept dragging the motorcycle.

After receiving reports of the incident, police initiated a search operation and tracked down the Mahindra Thar near the Luharli toll plaza. The Thar driver was taken into custody and the car impounded.

"The car driver, Harsh, has been taken into police custody. His Thar has been seized. Further legal action is underway," the ADCP said.

Police said the entire sequence of events was captured on CCTV, which is being examined as part of the investigation.

The petrol pump employee, who sustained injuries in the collision, is undergoing treatment. According to the ADCP, the petrol pump staff's condition is currently stable.

The incident comes days after a 15-year-old boy was killed and two others were injured when a Mahindra Thar plunged nearly 100 feet into a gorge in Faridabad.