A speeding pick-up truck collided head-on with an auto-rickshaw along a busy regional highway on Sunday, leaving one passenger dead and two women seriously injured before the offending driver fled the scene.

The tragedy occurred at approximately 1:45 PM on the Tongi-Ghorashal regional highway within the municipal limits of Kaliganj upazila, specifically near the Bagher Para locality. According to local witnesses and law enforcement officers, the victim has been identified as sixty-five-year-old Md Hafiz Sheikh, a resident of Bahaduroradi village under the same upazila, who was travelling home from Mirer Bazar aboard the passenger auto-rickshaw.

As the three-wheeler negotiated the stretch at Bagher Para, an oncoming pick-up truck careened into it with violent force. The impact tossed the passengers onto the roadside tarmac. Both the rogue pick-up truck and the auto-rickshaw vanished into traffic before bystanders could intervene.

Emergency services and local police rushed to the site following distress calls from witnesses. First responders discovered Hafiz Sheikh dead at the scene, while two female passengers lay nearby with critical injuries. Kaliganj Fire Service personnel and police secured the area, recovered the victim’s body into official custody, and rushed the two wounded women to the Kaliganj Upazila Health Complex for urgent medical treatment.

Sub-Inspector Jabed of Kaliganj Police Station confirmed the casualties to journalists, stating that both involved vehicles managed to escape following the impact. Officers have taken custody of the deceased for procedural formalities, and formal legal steps are underway to investigate the fatal crash and track down the fleeing drivers. Regional highways across the outskirts of the capital frequently witness reckless driving and speeding violations, posing severe risks to commuters travelling on smaller passenger vehicles.