A midnight hit-and-run turned into another round of crashes in Sunny Enclave after a Kia Sonet, allegedly driven by an intoxicated man, sped into the residential area while three men chased him, police said.

The drama began near Nijjar Chowk on the Chandigarh highway around 1:30 am on Sunday, when the car allegedly hit another car twice before speeding away. Three men in the damaged car followed it into Sunny Enclave.

The chase ended near a police post when the car turned into a lane and, around 50 metres from the post, crashed into vehicles parked outside house number 138-B. The impact damaged advocate Avinash Kumar Sharma’s car and scooter, in addition to a Maruti Ignis belonging to the son of his neighbour, advocate Hemraj, and another vehicle.

The men chasing the car also alleged that the driver hit a police vehicle parked outside the post.

The crash brought residents out of their homes. Police said some people assaulted the driver before officers reached the spot and detained him. They identified him as Divanshu, a Jalandhar resident.

The car, bearing registration number PB-65-AZ-5589, is registered in the name of a Mohali woman, the advocate said. Police also recovered a woman’s purse from the vehicle.

The men who followed the car alleged that Divanshu handed his mobile phone and the purse to an associate during the chase, who then fled.

CCTV footage showed the accused’s car hitting a parked car, which then crashed into a few other vehicles. The accused stopped, and as he stepped out of his vehicle, the men chasing him thrashed him, according to the footage. Police are examining the footage and investigating the series of collisions. The Kharar police said the matter was under investigation. Later, Kharar City SHO Amarinder Singh said both parties were in talks for a compromise. Necessary action will be taken upon receipt of a complaint, police officials said.

Car crashes into pole

Chandigarh Four individuals, said to be drunk, escaped with minor injuries after their rashly driven car collided with a pole at the Sector 7/19 roundabout on Sunday morning, police said.

According to officials, the vehicle lost control while taking a turn. The occupants, who had arrived from Karnal and allegedly partied at a Sector 26 club, appeared intoxicated and were subjected to medical examination, police said.

Police impounded the car and said they were waiting for the medical report to register an FIR at the Sector 26 police station. HTC