Srinagar, Jan 21: The driver of speeding van who Wednesday crushed to death a woman and wounded her daughter on Boulevard was drunk at the time of the mishap, the City police confirmed.
 Not only this, the brand new Maruti van, he was driving wasn’t registered with the Regional Transport Office.
 The accused, Asadullah Sheikh, who was arrested on- the-spot by the timely action of SDPO Muzaffar Azad and his team, was Thursday produced before a local Court.
 The Court sent him for judicial custody till Jan 30.
 Sheikh was immediately shifted to Central Jail, Srinagar.
 Pertinently, Shaheena Wani, of Konakhan Dalgate died while her daughter Saaqiba is battling for life.
 While the witnesses had already complained of the van driver being drunk, the police said the same was confirmed by the medical examination at SMHS hospital.
 An inquiry officer with police station Nehru Park said the moment Shiekh was nabbed by the cops, the people present at the site shouted: “He is drunk. He is drunk.”
 “Even though his being under the influence of alcohol could be felt from the smell of his mouth, we took him for medical examination where the hospital vindicated it,” he said adding that the case has been registered under section 270,337,427,304-A,185.
 When contacted the SDPO Nehru Park confirmed the reports. “Yes medical examination has confirmed his being drunk,” the SDPO said.
 He, however, declined to give details about further investigations.
 The mother-daughter duo was walking on the pavement when the speeding van, which as per the witnesses, was moving here and there, hit them.
 Witnesses said a wine bottle could be seen inside the van.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 21 Jan 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:00:00 IST