A 29-year-old Indian man studying in Auckland city in New Zealand was killed on Saturday when a drunk driver crashed into his car after jumping a signal, his family said on Sunday. Syed Abdul Raheem Fahad’s family has requested India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to help them bring his body to India, PTI reported.
The family, which lives in Chanchalguda, Hyderabad, has also appealed to Swaraj for financial assistance, Fahad’s cousin Faisal told the news agency. “We have contacted the officials at the Indian embassy also,” he said. Telangana’s Bharatiya Janata Party President K Laxman also requested Swaraj to help Fahad’s family. A relative living in Australia informed the family about the accident on Saturday, said Faisal.
Detective Inspector Scott Beard told stuff.co.nz that Fahad had “nothing to do” with the “avoidable” collision. He said the driver fled the scene after the accident and was later tracked down by a police helicopter.
The driver has been arrested, and will appear in court before the New Year, the news website reported. He has been charged with “driving with excess breath alcohol causing death, driving with excess breath alcohol causing injury, and failure to stop and ascertain injury”.
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