Sahibganj E-Rickshaw Crash: Three Killed as Truck Hits Toto Near Keshro

What happened

On the night of Thursday, 15 October 2026, a heavy truck and a battery e-rickshaw, called a toto locally, collided near Keshro village (also spelt Kesro) in the Ranga police station area of Sahibganj district, Jharkhand. The spot, known as Keshro More, is on the Barharwa–Barhait main road. Three young men in the e-rickshaw were killed and two were badly hurt.

Prabhat Khabar put the time at about 8 pm and reported that the truck, a 16-wheeler, was going from Barharwa towards Ranga when it hit the toto coming the other way, dragging it about 10 feet. PTI called it a speeding truck, and ETV Bharat described it as a fast-moving Hyva tipper. The e-rickshaw was crushed and pinned under the front of the truck, and people were trapped inside.

The five people in the toto were on their way back to the Barharwa side from the weekly haat at Ranga, with fruit and vegetables on board. ETV Bharat said they were fruit and vegetable sellers returning after the market. Prabhat Khabar first said they had gone shopping.

The people

Barharwa Sub-divisional Police Officer Nitin Khandelwal told PTI that the dead were Sahil Sheikh, 18, and Kayum Khan, 24, of Moglapara village, and Kishore Sah, 28, of Dharampur village. ETV Bharat gave the same names and ages. Prabhat Khabar’s 16 October report spelt the names slightly differently and gave Kayum Khan’s age as 27 and Kishore’s as 25, with his home at Pathna Chowk. Reports agree that two died at the spot. PTI said the third died on the way to hospital; ETV Bharat said Kayum Khan died during treatment.

The two injured are Suraj Khan and Ahil Khan of Moglapara, both young. PTI gave their ages as 17 and 14; ETV Bharat and Prabhat Khabar gave slightly different ages. They were first treated at the Barharwa health centre. Prabhat Khabar reported that both were then referred to West Bengal for better treatment. We found no later update on their condition.

Response and investigation

Local people and passers-by started the rescue and called Ranga police. Earth-moving machines were brought in to lift the truck off the e-rickshaw before the trapped people and the bodies could be taken out. Ranga police station in-charge Akhilesh Yadav told ETV Bharat that an investigation was under way.

Angry residents blocked the road after the crash. Prabhat Khabar reported that police persuaded them to clear it late at night. According to PTI, police seized both vehicles, the truck driver ran away and a search was launched for him. The bodies were sent for post-mortem on Friday, 16 October.

By the afternoon of 16 October 2026 we could not find any report of the driver’s arrest, the FIR sections, or a compensation announcement.

Why this matters

E-rickshaws are now the everyday ride between villages, haats and small towns in Jharkhand, Bihar and Bengal. They are light, open-sided and slow. Under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, an e-rickshaw is built for a top speed of 25 km/h and for no more than four passengers plus the driver, with up to 40 kg of luggage. On a district main road it shares the lane with loaded trucks and tippers that are many times heavier and much faster. In a head-on or near head-on hit, the people in the toto have almost nothing protecting them.

MoRTH’s Road Accidents in India 2023 report counted 1,72,890 road deaths in India that year, and 4,173 in Jharkhand. Truck and lorry users made up 10,066 of the deaths nationally. MoRTH does not count e-rickshaw riders on their own: they sit inside a group called other non-motor vehicles, which recorded 2,006 deaths.

Lessons for riders, drivers and families

• Light up the toto. E-rickshaw owners should keep the headlamp, tail lamp and indicators working and stick reflective tape on the back and sides. After dark, an e-rickshaw without lights is hard for a truck driver to see until it is very close.
• Do not overload. Four passengers and 40 kg of luggage is the design limit. A toto piled with sacks of vegetables is slower to steer and to stop.
• Keep left and give way to heavy vehicles. On a two-lane road, a toto driver should stay well to the left and pull off onto the shoulder when a truck is coming, especially on bends and at junctions.
• Truck and tipper drivers must slow down near villages and haats. Market days bring e-rickshaws, cycles and people walking on the same stretch, often after dark.
• Call for help first. At a crash, dial 112 for police or 108 for an ambulance, give the exact spot, such as the nearest more, village or landmark, and say if someone is trapped.
• Do not drag trapped people out by force. Wait for machines or trained help if a vehicle is pinned, and keep the crowd back so rescuers can work.

What is still not known

The exact speed of the truck, whether either vehicle had working lights, who was driving the toto, and why the two vehicles met head-on have not been officially stated. The truck driver’s identity and any arrest, the FIR details, the post-mortem findings and any compensation for the families are still awaited. We will update this page when police share more.