An iPhone safety feature became the first source of information for a family after a fatal road accident in Jalandhar, alerting the mother of one of the victims moments after the crash.
Divit Aulukh, son of Dinesh Aulukh, owner of Punjabi music company Speed Records, and Arav Talwar, son of the owner of Pappi Sweets, died after their Volkswagen car rammed into a parked Municipal Corporation tractor-trolley on the Police Lines flyover around 3 AM on Sunday.
According to the information, Divit's iPhone had its 'Crash Detection' feature enabled, with his mother's phone number saved for emergency alerts. Following the collision, the phone automatically sent an alert to her mobile. The notification woke her up, making her the first family member to learn about the accident.
After receiving the alert, the family tried calling Divit, but the calls did not go through. They subsequently contacted one of his friends, who confirmed that an accident had taken place and that Divit was being taken to the Civil Hospital.
According to the police, five young men were travelling in the Volkswagen car after attending a friend's birthday party. The vehicle was moving from BMC Chowk towards BSF Chowk when it crashed into a tractor-trolley parked on the Police Lines flyover.
The trolley belonged to the Municipal Corporation and had been stationed there by sanitation workers carrying out cleaning work and collecting garbage.
SHO of Police Station Baradari, Sahil Chaudhary, said the police received information about the accident around 3 AM and immediately reached the spot. He confirmed that two occupants, Divit and Arav, died, while the other three escaped without injuries.
The police took possession of the bodies and initiated an investigation. However, both families reportedly declined further legal action, following which the bodies were handed over to them.
Arav's last rites were performed on Sunday, while Divit's funeral is scheduled for Tuesday at the Model Town cremation ground.
The deaths have sent shockwaves across Jalandhar, particularly among the city's business community. Singer Jazzy B also expressed grief over the loss. Divit was also the nephew of singer-rapper Honey Singh.
