Kolkata, August 12, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A woman died after the car she was driving plunged into a pond in Kolkata’s Keshtopur area on Wednesday while she was practising driving her husband’s newly purchased vehicle.
The deceased was identified as Sumitra Das, a resident of Prafulla Kanan in Keshtopur. Police said Das did not yet have a driving licence and was scheduled to appear for her driving test on August 22.
According to the initial investigation, Das had dropped her daughter at school on a scooter before returning home. She later took the newly purchased car out alone to practise driving and gain confidence ahead of her test.
Police suspect she accidentally pressed the accelerator instead of the brake, causing the vehicle to move rapidly towards the pond and fall into the water.
Personnel from the fire brigade and officers of the Baguiati police station spent around one-and-a-half hours recovering the submerged vehicle. Investigators said her body was found towards the rear door of the car, with her feet near the steering wheel, suggesting that she had attempted to escape.
Police suspect that she drowned after the vehicle became submerged.
“The car has been recovered from the pond. The woman had died by the time the car was pulled out. The body has been sent for autopsy,” a senior Kolkata Police officer said.
The incident has highlighted the risks associated with driving without a licence, formal training or supervision. Police have advised people learning to drive to undergo proper training and avoid practising alone in potentially unsafe conditions.
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