New Delhi: A 36-year-old cab driver burnt to death in northeast Delhi’s Mandoli on February 7 night after a Tata Indigo car he was driving suddenly caught fire on Wazirabad Road.
Family members of victim, identified as Sachin Tyagi, later alleged that several curious onlookers stood by the burning car, recording videos and clicking photos, but no one tried to help. They also said that he always carried a fire extinguisher in his car but was unable to use it on the fateful day.
Later, when Tyagi’s family reached the spot, several onlookers offered to transfer the videos that they had shot on their mobiles via WhatsApp, Bluetooth or ShareIt apps.
“What were we supposed to do with the videos when we knew that he had burnt beyond recognition,” asked Aadesh, a cousin of Tyagi.
Police said Tyagi’s cab operated for a Noida-based call centre and went up in flames near Mandoli Jail, right opposite Nand Nagri police station, around 10.15 pm on February 7.
Eyewitnesses said Tyagi had stopped to buy something from the local market around 10.15 pm. He spotted fire in his engine moments after he had got back into his car. When his efforts to open the car’s doors and windows failed, he cried out for help. By the time fire fighters arrived at the scene around 15 minutes later, Tyagi had already burnt to death.
The police suspect that the fire might have jammed the central locking system of the vehicle, giving Tyagi no chance to escape.
