In the early hours of the morning in Indore, two young engineering students lost their lives after a speeding SUV collided with their two-wheeler around 2 a.m. The victims, aged 20 and enrolled in a second-year B.Tech programme, were riding in the Scheme 78 area when the vehicle struck them and dragged their bike for several metres.

A third student, also travelling on the bike, sustained severe injuries and remains hospitalised. Investigators say the SUV, reportedly new and still adorned with celebratory decorations, fled the scene after the crash; the vehicle has since been seized by police.

Authorities have registered a case and launched a hunt for the suspects. The incident has sparked outrage locally, especially after reports that the victims’ bodies lay unattended for a prolonged period.