The officials have been arrested in connection with the deaths of three men whose car rolled over an under-construction bridge in Bareilly while following directions from Google Maps.
The police in Dataganj, Uttar Pradesh, have filed charges against four engineers from the public works department and an unnamed Google Maps official in connection with the death of three men. The victims’ car plunged off an under-construction bridge while following directions on the navigation app.
The incident occurred on the Bareilly-Budaun border, when 30-year-old brothers Nitin and Ajit from Farrukhabad district, along with 40-year-old Amit from Mainpuri district, were traveling from Noida to Faridpur in Bareilly to attend a wedding.
According to police officials, the driver was directed by Google Maps to take an unsafe route, causing the vehicle to plunge into the Ramganga River from a partially constructed bridge in the Dataganj Police Station area early Sunday. Dataganj Police Station SHO Gaurav Bishnoi told PTI that an FIR had been filed against four engineers from the PWD, along with some unidentified individuals.
The regional officer of Google Maps has also been brought under the scope of investigation but his name is yet to be included in the FIR.
Budaun district magistrate Nidhi Srivastava told PTI, “Apart from corrective measures at the site, FIR under section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the BNS has been registered against 2 Assistant Engineers and 2 Junior Engineers of PWD and unknown persons.”
She added that directives have been issued to the PWD and Setu Nigam to inspect all roads, bridges, flyovers, and underpasses to prevent such incidents from occurring again.
A spokesperson for Google said, “Our deepest sympathies go out to the families. We’re working closely with the authorities and providing our support to investigate the issue.”
Faridpur circle officer Ashutosh Shivam stated that a portion of the bridge had been destroyed during a flood last year and thus the bridge didn’t have safety barriers or warning signs.