Bhopal, April 24 One person was killed in an accident while another individual remains unaccounted for, as a truck loaded with foreign liquor overturned on Thursday and caught fire near the village of Kothri Kalan on the Bhopal-Indore highway.
The missing person, identified as Javed, is yet to be located, according to information provided by the truck's owner.
The truck owner informed the police that two individuals -- Javed, the truck driver, and Nadeem, his assistant -- departed from Indore early on Thursday to deliver the liquor consignment to Jabalpur.
However, during the early hours of Thursday, the truck met with an accident near Kothri village and was engulfed in flames.
Speaking to IANS, Deputy Superintendent of Police Akash Amalkar said that subsequent investigations determined Nadeem's death was caused by severe head injuries rather than burn injuries.
“It appears that he may have jumped out of the vehicle when it overturned and struck his head against the steel guardrails installed alongside the road to block local traffic,” the police officer said.
Assuming the deceased to be the driver, Javed, the authorities recovered the body and contacted his family. However, Nadeem's family members also arrived at the accident site and identified the deceased as Nadeem. Meanwhile, Javed has neither been found nor responded to calls, as his mobile phone remains switched off.
The officer said earlier it was presumed the driver might have reduced to ashes in the flames, but he may have fled the scene to evade legal consequences. However, efforts to locate him have been intensified, and he is expected to be in police custody shortly.
The truck, bearing registration number MP 28 H 1489, was carrying a “liquor consignment” from Indore-Barwah to a warehouse in Jabalpur when the accident occurred near Kothri village in Sehore district. Investigations confirmed the presence of both the driver and his assistant on board at the time of the incident.
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