Six-year-old killed as car hits auto, pedestrians in Lucknow; accused held

A six-year-old boy was killed, and four people were injured after a school student returning from a farewell party rammed his car into an autorickshaw and pedestrians in the Banthra area in Lucknow, police said on Friday (February 13, 2026).

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Lucknow South) Nipun Agarwal said the accused has been taken into custody and the car impounded. He said the injured are undergoing treatment and are out of danger.

According to the preliminary inquiry, the speeding Swift car, driven by 21-year-old Gaurab Singh, hit an autorickshaw before ploughing into people walking along the roadside near a Hanuman temple at around 6 p.m. on Thursday (February 12, 2026).

The injured were identified as Armaan (12), Awadh Bihari (42), Sadhana Verma (35), Meena Devi (60), and six-year-old Dikshant Patel. All were taken to a hospital for treatment, police said.

Patel, who sustained critical injuries, was referred to another medical facility, where he succumbed to injuries during treatment, police said.

ACP (Krishna Nagar) Rajneesh Verma told PTI that the driver has been taken into custody and an FIR has been lodged on charges of reckless driving and endangering life.

Police said the accused is a class 12 student, and four of his friends were in the car at the time of the accident. He allegedly borrowed the vehicle from a friend and possessed a valid driving licence, they said.

The accused has claimed that he got “confused” between the brake and accelerator pedals and that a tyre burst, leading to the accident, police said, adding that his claims are being verified.

Talking to PTI Videos outside a private hospital in Lucknow, Nitin, the son of one of those injured, said his father was alone in his autorickshaw, parked along the roadside, when it was struck by the speeding car.

Nitin said his family lives in the Sohramau area in Unnao district, adjoining Banthra.

The Swift car involved in the accident bears a Kanpur registration number. The vehicle, currently parked at the Banthra police station, has suffered extensive front-end damage, with its left tyre almost completely mangled.

The incident comes days after several people were injured when a speeding Lamborghini, allegedly driven by the son of a prominent tobacco trader in Kanpur, rammed into pedestrians and two-wheelers on the VIP Road in the city’s upscale Gwaltoli area.