A senior official stated that Gujarat police arrested the son-in-law of a Congress legislator after his SUV rammed into an autorickshaw and a motorcycle in Anand district, killing six people.

According to Anand Superintendent of Police Ajit Rajian, the accident occurred on Thursday evening near Sojitra village on a state highway connecting Anand town to Tarapur.

He identified the accused as Ketan Padhiyar (42), the son-in-law of Sojitra assembly constituency Congress MLA Punambhai Parmar. According to police officials familiar with the incident, the six deceased were residents of Sojitra and Boriyavi villages in the Anand district.

Jiya Mistri (14), Janvi Mistri (17), Vina Mistri (44) and the autorickshaw driver Yasin Vohra (38) were all Sojitra residents. Yogesh (20) and Sandeep (19), both citizens of Anand, were among those killed on the motorbike.

“We have apprehended Padhiyar and prima facie, it seems that he was under the influence of alcohol while driving. Six people died in the incident. Padhiyar has been booked for culpable homicide under section 304 of the Indian Penal Code,” said Rajian, adding that the accused had fled from the spot after the crash.

Padhiyar was taken to a hospital for treatment after he was apprehended as he had sustained injuries in the accident, said the SP.