Delhi, Feb. 17 -- Inna Makan had raised her only child, Saahil Dhaneshra, as tenderly as a flower, dedicating every penny from her earnings to providing him a better life. Even planning to send him outside of India after his last semester of college, Inna had never imagined she would see Saahil die at the age of 23.

On February 3, a speeding Scorpio rammed into a taxi and a bike in Delhi's Dwarka, killing 23-year-old Saahil on the spot. Recounting the incident, Inna said she received an unassuming call at around 1 pm from the Sector 11 Station House Officer. They told her that they found a dead boy, and the registration number was linked to her phone number.

Inna had immediately asked the police to describe the boy, and the reply had he...