Agartala, Jul 31 (PTI) Four persons, including a jawan of the Tripura State Rifles (TSR), were killed when a speeding vehicle hit a police van in Unakoti district, police said on Thursday.

Police have started an investigation into the incident to find out whether there was any foul play.

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The incident took place on Wednesday night when the police vehicle was parked beside the road at Chirkote in Kailashahar police station area. The police team was conducting routine patrolling on the Kailashahar-Kumarghat highway.

"A speeding SUV hit the police van, resulting in the death of two persons, while two other persons later succumbed to their injuries. One more injured person was undergoing treatment," Kailashahar Sub-divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Jayanta Karmakar said.

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The speeding car had four occupants, of whom three died and one was injured, while one TSR jawan who was in the police van was also killed, he said.

"It appears that excessive speed of the car might be the cause of the incident. We have started an investigation to find out whether there was any foul play. Senior police officers and a forensic team have visited the spot to probe the circumstances that led to the fatal road accident," he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)