Tragedy struck the family of senior Akali Dal leader and former MP Mohinder Singh Kaypee late Saturday night when his only son, Richie Kaypee (36), lost his life in a multi-vehicle collision at Model Town in Jalandhar.
Police said the crash occurred around 11 pm near Mata Rani Chowk, when a Creta SUV, moving at high speed, rammed head-on into Richie’s Toyota Fortuner. The impact left Richie critically injured with severe trauma to his neck and head.
Bystanders rushed him to Global Hospital and later to Patel Hospital, but doctors declared him dead on arriva
The Station House Officer of Police Station Number 6 confirmed that the Creta was being driven by a local businessman, who had his wife and daughter with him at the time. Both women also suffered injuries. “An FIR will be registered once the preliminary investigation is complete. CCTV footage from nearby stores will be collected to establish the full sequence of events,” the SHO said.
Police later identified the Creta driver as Prince, owner of Shan Enterprises in Shekha Bazaar, and have already seized three of the damaged vehicles.
The crash involved four vehicles in total. Ajaib Singh, SHO of Jalandhar PS Division Number 6 informed True Scoop that Richie's Fortuner was hit by Creta and Grand Vitara both. While Creta was being driven by businessman Prince, the identity of the man who was driving Grand Vitara is yet to be revealed.
Ajaib Singh informed that both Creta and Grand Vitara were high on speed when they struck Richie's car. The man was driving Grand Vitara is currently hospitalised undergoing treatment. Once, he gets discharged by evening, he will be arrested, informed Ajaib Singh.
Relatives said Richie had stepped out briefly around 10:30pm to return a friend’s mobile phone when the accident occurred. His father Kaypee, who was at home at the time, rushed to the spot with family members as soon as he received the news.
Friends remembered Richie as mannered and cautious behind the wheel. “He was not someone who drove recklessly,” said close friend Raj Jujhar, a Punjabi singer who visited Kaypee’s residence after the accident.
Another friend told that Richie, a law graduate, rarely stayed out late at night.
The force of the collision left car parts scattered across nearly 50 feet of road, drawing crowds of shocked residents to the site.
Senior leaders across party lines, including Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal and MP Ravneet Singh Bittu, expressed deep sorrow and extended condolences to the Kaypee family.
Richie’s sister and several close relatives, who live abroad, are expected to return soon for the last rites.
