Three dead, three injured after car ploughs into fruit cart on Jalandhar-Pathankot NH

Fatal crash near Cholang toll plaza leaves three dead

Three people were killed and three others sustained injuries when a speeding car lost control and struck a roadside fruit cart on the Jalandhar–Pathankot national highway on Sunday afternoon, police said. The incident occurred near Cholang toll plaza at about 2.20–2.30 pm, according to reports published by local and national outlets.

Police said the vehicle involved was a Maruti Suzuki Fronx bearing registration number JK01BC8358, travelling from Jalandhar towards Pathankot when the driver reportedly lost control. The car first hit a roadside tree and then collided with the fruit vendor standing beside his cart, resulting in multiple fatalities at the scene.

The deceased have been identified as Sukhwinder Singh, 50, a resident of Chak Shakoor in Jalandhar district; and Ikhlaq Qadir and Aneek Amin, both youths from Batamaloo, Srinagar, reported the sources. Three other occupants of the car, also from Jammu and Kashmir, suffered injuries and were admitted to hospital.

Bhogpur additional SHO Surinder Singh said preliminary investigation indicates that the car was speeding and the driver may have dozed off before he crashed into the fruit vendor.

The Hindustan Times reported that the mangled car’s speedometer was found frozen at 150 km per hour. Authorities said the five youths were heading to Jammu via Jalandhar after returning from New Delhi.

Rescue, seizure and evidence collected

Teams from the highway patrol and local police reached the spot soon after the collision to undertake rescue operations and secure the scene. The damaged vehicle was seized and several personal belongings of the victims were recovered and handed over to Bhogpur police station, according to Rising Kashmir.

• Items recovered included: seven kit bags, a laptop, three wallets containing ₹4,400, a wristwatch, two mobile phones and two mobile chargers, as listed by police.
• The families of the deceased have been informed and legal proceedings have been initiated.
• Injured occupants were provided first aid at the site and shifted to hospital; two accounts place the injured at Civil Hospital, Tanda, while other reports say a private hospital in Jalandhar is treating them.

Police said they have begun a formal investigation into the circumstances leading to the collision and will proceed with further legal action after recording statements from survivors and witnesses. The Bhogpur police have registered the matter and are collecting evidence from the scene.

Local context and road-safety implications

The crash, close to a busy toll plaza on a national highway, highlights persistent road-safety risks for roadside vendors and commuters on key state corridors. Fruit and other roadside vendors frequently operate close to carriageways to serve passing traffic, a practice that raises their vulnerability to high-speed collisions. Local residents and transport watchers in Jalandhar have long urged improved measures such as better shoulders, designated vendor zones, traffic calming near toll plazas and stricter enforcement of speed limits.

As this case proceeds through investigation, the immediate concern remains medical care for the injured and support for the bereaved families. Police action and any subsequent charges will be determined by the formal inquiry and witness statements, authorities said.

Reporting on the incident has been compiled from accounts in Hindustan Times and Rising Kashmir, which published details based on police briefings and local inquiries.