Truck crushes woman

A Tata 407 truck mowed down a 22-year-old woman in South Baoali, off Taratala, on Sunday afternoon. A mob set the truck ablaze after its driver fled. The mishap took place around 3.30pm when Soma Roy, who lived in a rented flat in the locality, got off a private bus and tried to cross the road. She was returning from a computer tutorial. According to police, she was from Kalinagar in South 24-Parganas. Residents took Soma, who had suffered head injuries, to Vidyasagar State General Hospital in Behala. She was declared dead on arrival. The driver tried to speed away with the truck. When he couldn’t, he and the help got off and run away. Accusing the police of not doing enough to prevent mishaps, a group of residents took out fuel from the truck’s tank and set the tyres on fire. Within minutes, the vehicle was engulfed in flames. A team from Nodakhali police station arrived on the spot 15 minutes later and dispersed the mob. A hunt is on for the driver, said an officer.