A 16-year-old boy, zigzagging on the Ranchi-Gumla highway on a sports bike, was run over by an SUV on a risky stretch 50km from the state capital on Friday afternoon.

Sanjay Kumar, a Class X student and resident of Deogram in Lapung, was not wearing a helmet, said police.

According to Lalpung thana OC Shiv Pukar Singh, the teenager was guilty of rash biking. "The boy, eyewitnesses said, was riding his bike (registration number JH-01 B5277) in top gear. Not only that, he was zigzagging past speeding vehicles plying in both directions," the officer said.

The accident, a fresh reminder on road safety rules, took place at Saprum in Lapung police station area around 12.30pm.

Quoting eyewitnesses OC Singh said, "Two SUVs were plying in opposite directions and the boy, coming from Lapung towards capital Ranchi, tried to overtake one of the vehicles by squeeze in between them. The gap was too narrow. The bike skidded, he crashed on the road and the front wheel of the other SUV crushed his head."

The severe nature of the accident could have delayed identification, but police luckily found a mobile phone in his pocket, which miraculously escaped major damage.

"We managed to call a few contacts and reach the boy's family who later came from Deogram and identified the body. The body has been sent to RIMS in Bariatu for post-mortem," OC Singh said, adding that they were yet to ascertain which government or private school Sanjay went to.