The driver of a truck that had overturned on the AJC Bose Road flyover in the heart of Kolkata in December 2020, leaving four of the persons travelling by it dead, was arrested in Sealdah on Sunday.
The victims were returning home after performing the last rites of a family member in Babughat.
Police said the accused - Bikram Kumar, 22 - had fled to his native place in Bihar and been hiding there for the last nine months. “He had returned to Kolkata earlier last week to look for a job,” an officer said.
The police had earlier said Kumar did not have any driving licence.
He was apparently an assistant to the actual driver of the truck. He had allegedly borrowed the truck from the driver the day the accident occurred - December 23, 2020 - to earn some extra money by doing small trips.
Several officers said not many traffic accident cases in which the accused remain unidentified or have fled are pursued till the arrest.
“The traffic wing of the police is mainly involved in traffic management. Pursuing cases like this involves a lot of investigation,” a senior officer said.
The victims and other family members had hired the truck to travel to Babughat - to perform the last rites of an elderly relative — and return home.
The police said at least 27 people were on the truck when the driver suddenly pressed the brakes on the AJC Bose Road flyover and the vehicle overturned.
At least seven passengers were critically injured, of whom four died.
The police had started a case under IPC sections related to rash and negligent driving and causing culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
“The man did not have a driving licence and was fully aware of the fact that his negligent act of driving could lead to accidents and even deaths,” said an officer of the fatal squad of the traffic police.
If convicted, Kumar could be jailed for up to 10 years. Kumar has been remanded in judicial custody till October 8.
The police said they had submitted a prayer before the court to carry out a test identification parade of the accused in judicial custody.
During the parade, the accused person is made to stand in a line with at least seven other men of similar build and the complainant is asked to identify the accused.