Couple Dies After Car Lies Undetected for 8 Hours on Delhi–Mumbai Expressway; CCTV Reveals Two Collisions
CCTV
A couple trapped inside a mangled Wagon-R died after lying undetected on the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway for 8 hours; CCTV shows two hit-and-runs.
Pune|06 December 2025: A tragic accident on the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway has left a married couple dead after their vehicle remained wrecked and unnoticed on the busy highway for nearly eight hours, prompting serious questions about highway surveillance and bystander apathy. Late Tuesday night, the grey Maruti Wagon-R — carrying a 42-year-old man and his 38-year-old wife — was struck from behind by a heavy vehicle while travelling near Nuh, reportedly between 11:30 PM and midnight. According to police, the crash pushed the car into a crash barrier, crushing it and trapping both occupants inside.
CCTV footage later reviewed by investigators revealed the car suffered a second collision about 20 minutes after the first — this time by a speeding SUV whose driver reportedly fled without stopping to help. Neither of the two vehicles involved checked on the victims.
Despite hundreds of vehicles passing the spot during the night, no one apparently noticed the mangled car, and no alert was raised with authorities. The wreck remained on the expressway until around 7:30 AM the next morning, when a highway patrol team discovered it. By then, the couple had succumbed to their injuries and bleeding, still trapped inside.
The victims, originally from Delhi, are survived by their four minor children. Police have registered a case of negligent driving and death due to negligence against the unknown drivers. Efforts are underway to trace the vehicles captured on CCTV, and two heavy-vehicle registrations have already been flagged for investigation.
The horrifying incident has sparked outrage and grief nationwide — not only for the loss of lives but for the shocking lack of response from countless motorists, and for the failure of expressway surveillance systems. Critics are questioning how a badly damaged car lying on a major highway could go undetected for so many hours, even though the expressway is equipped with CCTV gantries and is patrolled regularly. They are calling for a comprehensive review of emergency-response protocols, better lighting and visibility, and more stringent enforcement to ensure that such tragedies do not repeat.
For many, the accident serves as a grim reminder of the responsibilities that come with being on the road — the duty to stop and help accident victims, call for assistance, and not simply assume someone else will act. It also underscores the critical importance of functional real-time monitoring and rapid response systems on high-speed corridors.
