Mohali, April 12: A 55-year-old auto-rickshaw driver, Jeenus Rai of Sector 56, died in a head-on collision with a speeding car in Phase 4, Mohali, around 11.30 pm on Thursday.
Rai, who sold vegetables at Kisan Mandi, was returning home after work when a Maruti Ertiga coming from the opposite direction rammed into his auto. The impact flung him onto the car’s windshield, causing critical injuries.
Passers-by rushed him to the civil hospital in Phase 6, where he was declared dead on arrival.
Police have registered a case against the car driver, who fled the scene leaving his vehicle behind. A search is underway to trace him.
A local acquaintance, Johnny, alleged that despite repeated calls, no PCR vehicle arrived for nearly an hour. He said an unidentified man first arrived in plain clothes, only to return later in uniform to begin formalities.
Rai is survived by two sons, both employed, and had long supported his family through vegetable vending.
