The late Dhirendra Singh has been described as a man of principle.

Mr Singh, 55, who was a car­penter, died in an alleged mo­tor vehicle accident in Lauto­ka yesterday morning.

According to the deceased’s nephew, Avishy Singh, 24, his uncle was from Nakelo land­ing in Nausori, and moved to Sabeto to complete his Year 12 high school education.

He said his late uncle would be missed and for him, he would not have anyone to share his stories to.

“I grew up watching him and he instilled a few principles about life and work ethics in me.

“We would share stories about our days. He was a straightforward guy, short-tempered as well but he won’t get angry or retaliate.”

He said the late Mr Singh who was a bachelor was returning with his parents from a prayer event in Field 40 on the morn­ing of the accident.

Police confirmed the alleged incident occurred after 1am and the victim was a passen­ger in a vehicle driven by his 20-year-old nephew.

Police spokesperson Ana Naisoro said the suspect was driving along the Vuda Bridge when he lost control of the vehicle and the vehicle then landed in the river.

“The driver managed to free himself from the vehicle; how­ever, the victim was trapped inside. His body was retrieved by divers and is now being kept at the Lautoka Hospital Mortuary,” she said.

Ms Naisoro added that the 20-year-old driver is in custody at the Lautoka Police Station as investigations continue.

Final funeral rites for the deceased would be confirmed once the post-mortem was completed.

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