Qazigund, July 16 (KNO): Kulgam Police claimed to have solved a hit-and-run case linked to the death of an 11-year-old girl by arresting the accused from Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow area following an extensive investigation.
Officials told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that the vehicle involved in the incident was also traced and seized from Bareilly, around 250 kilometres from where the accused had taken refuge.
They said the arrest comes six days after the fatal accident near KP Colony, Vessu, on July 10, when an unidentified vehicle hit the minor girl. She was shifted to Government Medical College (GMC), Anantnag, where she later succumbed to her injuries.
Following the incident, the victim's family held protest on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, demanding the arrest of the accused.
Police registered a case at the Qazigund Police Station under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to crack the case.
Officials said the team scrutinised CCTV footage, analysed technical evidence and tracked the suspect's movements across multiple states.
"During the investigation, it emerged that the accused had fled to Lucknow after the accident while concealing the vehicle in Bareilly, nearly 250 kilometres away, in an attempt to mislead investigators and evade arrest," they said.
Using technical surveillance and intelligence inputs, the investigating team pinpointed the accused's location. A police team from Qazigund travelled to Uttar Pradesh and with the assistance of the local police, arrested the accused from Lucknow.
Police said the vehicle involved was subsequently recovered and seized from Bareilly. The accused has been identified as Arun Gupta, son of Lalit Ram Gupta, a resident of Behrinbagh in Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kulgam, Anayat Ali Choudhary, said the arrest was made possible through effective technical investigation, sustained efforts by the investigating team and close coordination with the Uttar Pradesh Police—(KNO)