Police in Dataganj, Uttar Pradesh, have registered a case against four engineers from the Public Works Department (PWD) and an unnamed Google Maps official following the deaths of three men whose car plunged from an under-construction bridge while navigating via the app.
The tragedy occurred on the Bareilly-Budaun border when 30-year-old brothers Nitin and Ajit from Farrukhabad, and 40-year-old Amit from Mainpuri, were traveling from Noida to attend a wedding in Faridpur, Bareilly. Authorities said the driver was misled by Google Maps into taking a dangerous route, resulting in the car falling into the Ramganga river early on Sunday from a bridge that was partially completed.
Dataganj Police Station SHO Gaurav Bishnoi confirmed to PTI that an FIR had been filed against four PWD engineers and unidentified individuals, including a regional officer from Google Maps. However, the name of the Google official has not yet been included in the FIR.
Budaun District Magistrate Nidhi Srivastava told PTI that charges under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code had been levied against two Assistant Engineers and two Junior Engineers from PWD. The investigation also covers unnamed persons involved. She added that the PWD and Setu Nigam had been instructed to conduct thorough inspections of all bridges, roads, flyovers, and underpasses in the area to prevent such incidents in the future.
A Google spokesperson expressed condolences, stating, “Our deepest sympathies go out to the families. We are working closely with authorities and providing support to investigate the incident.”
Faridpur Circle Officer Ashutosh Shivam clarified that a portion of the bridge had been damaged during a flood the previous year, and as a result, the bridge lacked safety barriers or warning signs.
