BMW X5 Collision Kills Fin Ministry Official in Delhi, Woman Driver Faces Homicide Charges
Gaganpreet Makkad sits in judicial custody today, charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder after her BMW X5 killed a senior finance ministry official on a Sunday afternoon that began with worship and ended in tragedy. The case has grown more complex with each passing day, revealing disturbing details about what happened after the crash that claimed Navjot Singh's life and left his wife fighting for survival.
The accident occurred at 1:30 PM on September 15, 2024, near Delhi Cantonment Metro Station on the Dhaula Kuan stretch of Ring Road. Singh, 52, a deputy secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs, was returning home with his wife Sandeep Kaur after visiting Bangla Sahib Gurdwara and having lunch at Karnataka Bhavan. They were travelling on their motorcycle when Makkad's BMW struck them from behind near Metro pillar number 67.
The impact was severe enough to overturn the BMW and throw both victims onto the road. Singh suffered fatal head, face and leg injuries, while Kaur sustained multiple fractures, a head wound requiring 14 stitches, and other serious injuries. The motorcycle crashed into a nearby bus after being hit. Witnesses at the scene reported that the BMW was travelling at high speed when it first hit the central divider before colliding with the motorcycle.
What happened next has become the focus of intense scrutiny. According to Kaur's statement to police, she repeatedly pleaded with Makkad to take them to the nearest hospital as her husband was unconscious and needed urgent medical attention. Instead of going to nearby facilities like AIIMS (12 km away) or Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital (7.8 km away), Makkad transported the injured couple 22 kilometres to Nulife Hospital in GTB Nagar.
The choice of hospital has raised serious questions. Police investigations have revealed that Nulife Hospital is connected to Makkad's family - her father, Javinder Singh, is a director and shareholder of Nu Life Advanced Diagnostics Pvt Ltd, the company that owns the hospital. This connection was discovered 48 hours into the investigation and has led to additional charges of evidence tampering being added to the case.
Kaur's complaint states that she and her husband were kept waiting on stretchers outside the hospital for an extended period. Singh was declared dead at Nulife Hospital, while Kaur was later transferred by her son and relatives to Venkateshwar Hospital in Dwarka for better treatment. The family has alleged that Makkad and her husband received medical attention before the victims, despite their more serious injuries.
Makkad, 38, is a resident of Gurugram who runs a leather products business with her husband Parikshit. She was travelling with her husband, two children and domestic help when the accident occurred. Blood tests conducted after the crash came back negative for alcohol, ruling out drink-driving as a factor. During questioning, Makkad claimed she was in a state of panic after the accident and could not recall how it happened.
Her husband Parikshit has provided a different version of events to police. He claims that after the collision, Makkad told him she was taking the victims to hospital by taxi while he would follow separately in another cab. Police are verifying this account using call detail records and location data to establish the exact sequence of events.
The case has been registered under sections 281 (rash driving), 125B (acts endangering life), 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), and 238 (evidence tampering) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. A Delhi court has remanded Makkad to two days of judicial custody, with her bail application scheduled to be heard on September 17.
The investigation has also examined why the FIR was registered 10 hours after the accident, raising questions about the initial response by authorities. Police have seized both vehicles involved and conducted forensic examination of the accident site.
The tragedy has devastated Singh's family. His son Navnoor turned 22 on the same day his father was cremated - September 16. The cremation took place at Beri Wala Bagh crematorium, attended by colleagues from the finance ministry, neighbours and relatives. Sandeep Kaur, still hospitalised with serious injuries, was brought on a stretcher to bid farewell to her husband before the cremation procession.
Singh's death has highlighted the vulnerability of two-wheeler riders on Delhi's roads, where similar accidents occur daily but rarely receive such attention. The case continues to unfold as police investigate the hospital connection and examine whether there was a deliberate attempt to influence medical evidence by taking the victims to a facility linked to the accused's family.
The BMW remains seized as evidence while forensic experts continue their examination. Makkad's legal team has argued the incident was "wholly accidental" and unintentional, pointing to her lack of criminal history and the fact she too suffered head injuries in the crash. However, the evidence tampering charges and hospital connection suggest this case involves more than a simple traffic accident.