A woman riding pillion on her friend's two-wheeler died as a small pick-up van hit the e-scooter they were riding near Regent Park on Thursday afternoon.
Police identified the woman as Snigdha Das, 25, a resident of Beleghata Main Road.
“She was riding pillion on an e-scooter driven by a youth named Saumen Chakraborty. The scooter collided with a Tata Ace that came out of a bylane,” said an officer of Regent Park police station.
The collision happened around 4.45pm on Brick Field Road at Itkhola in the Regent Park area.
Both Saumen and Snigdha were flung off on the road as a result of the impact of the collision. They were taken to MR Bangur Hospital where Snigdha succumbed to her injuries. Saumen is undergoing treatment.
Snigdha’s father is a state government official.
Both the vehicles were moving at “high speed”, a police officer said. “We did not find any helmet on the spot.”
The Tata Ace had stopped at the crash site but the driver fled the spot.
“A search has been launched for the driver. A case has been started with Regent Park police station. The probe will be handed over to the fatal squad of the traffic police."
The Tata Ace, which was engaged to carry domestic LPG cylinders, was returning empty to the distributor’s office when the incident occurred.
“We encourage riders to wear helmets for their safety,” said an officer of the traffic department.
E-scooters are not registered and cannot be prosecuted under the Motor Vehicles Act. "We advise everyone to wear a helmet,” he said.