A double hit-and-run on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway has now escalated into a criminal negligence probe, after it emerged that a mangled WagonR carrying a couple remained unnoticed for nearly eight hours, despite mandatory surveillance by the National Highways Authority of India and local police teams.

The victims, 42-year-old Lacchi Ram and 38-year-old Kusum Lata, were struck twice minutes apart last Tuesday night—yet neither driver stopped, and no patrol vehicle detected the crushed car until dawn.

Family members have accused both motorists and authorities of turning a survivable crash into a preventable crime, citing gross lapses in patrolling, emergency response, and hit-and-run accountability.

“How could everyone miss a mangled car with two people bleeding inside?” asked Ram’s maternal uncle, Nahar Singh. “If patrols happen every hour, how did they not see the wreck? Are these patrols only on paper?”

Ram’s father, Devi Singh, said the family desperately called the couple’s phones through the night, unaware they lay trapped inside the vehicle. “After 8 am, a policeman answered. That is how we learned they had died,” he said, repeatedly breaking down.

Police are now examining dereliction of duty, alongside tracking the two fleeing drivers. Preliminary statements suggest that timely aid could have saved at least one victim.

What Actually Happened (Crime Reconstruction)

• 11.52 pm – First crash:

A multi-axle dumper truck rammed the couple’s WagonR and shoved it into a side lane. CCTV footage suggests the couple survived the initial impact.

• 12.14 am – Second crash (22 minutes later):

A white Maruti Ertiga, speeding on the same stretch, smashed into the already-damaged car. The driver then reversed, looked briefly, and fled, making it the second hit-and-run in under half an hour.

• No help from either driver:

Neither of the two drivers stepped out to check on the victims—an offence under hit-and-run and failure-to-render-aid provisions.

• Eight-hour abandonment:

Despite being on a monitored expressway, the car remained unnoticed and unreported from 12.14 am to 7.38 am.

No NHAI patrol unit, no highway police team, and hundreds of passing vehicles stopped to help.

• 7.38 am – Bodies discovered by villagers:

Residents walking along the road finally saw the crushed car and alerted police, eight hours after the first collision.

• Possible survivability:

According to relative Deepak Singh, Kusum Lata had no visible external injuries. Ram suffered head and leg injuries but may have lived with early intervention. Investigators are evaluating whether the lack of timely rescue contributed directly to their deaths, which could qualify as criminal negligence under applicable law.