A 17-year-old boy was killed and two others were injured when a car, reportedly driven by an army jawan, rammed into an e-rickshaw ferrying them near Salem Tabri, close to the Jalandhar Bypass, on Sunday morning. Police suspect the driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel.The damaged car after the accident in Ludhiana on Sunday. (HT Photo)The deceased was identified as Navi Kumar, a resident of Saroop Nagar, Jassian. He and two friends had just returned from a pilgrimage to the Vaishno Devi shrine and were heading home in an e-rickshaw after arriving at Ludhiana Railway Station when the accident occurred.Police identified the car driver as Rahul Kumar Mishra, a native of Uttar Pradesh posted in Jammu. Preliminary investigation suggests that he may have dozed off while driving to Jammu to rejoin duty after availing leave, police said.According to the e-rickshaw driver, Himanshu Kumar, the impact was so severe that the car dragged the vehicle for nearly 200 metres before mounting the footpath and crashing into a roadside railing.Himanshu said that around 6 am, three boys and two women boarded his e-rickshaw from the railway station. After dropping the women near Chand Cinema, he proceeded towards Jassian with the three boys. As the e-rickshaw reached the Salem Tabri area, a speeding car struck it from behind.Navi died on the spot, while Himanshu and one of the victim’s friends sustained injuries and were rushed to hospital for treatment. The car driver escaped unhurt as the airbags deployed during the crash.The Salem Tabri police have taken the accused into custody. A case will be registered after recording the statements of the victim’s family members, police officials said.