Overview
- Police say the death toll stands at five, with several others injured and some critical following the Sunday afternoon crash near Ekta Chowk under Barela limits.
- The victims were part of a group of 13 women labourers from Mandla hired for NHAI divider work and were eating lunch by the roadside when the car hit them.
- Investigators have seized the vehicle and detained its owner, Deepak Soni, while naming his brother Lakhan Soni as the suspected driver who remains on the run.
- Authorities reviewed CCTV and set up checkpoints, and police said arrests are expected soon as the search for the accused continues.
- After a highway blockade by families and villagers, officials announced ex gratia payments, with police outlining Rs 10 lakh for each deceased and aid for the injured, while the chief minister separately announced Rs 4 lakh from the state and asked the contractor to provide additional relief.