The incident was reported around 11.30 PM last night when a speeding Honda City car collided with a Maruti SX4 car at the Rafi Marg - Rajpath intersection, close to Vijay Chowk, following which the Honda City climbed over a pavement, said a police official.
A Police Control Room (PCR) van was rushed to the spot and several other vehicles gathered there within minutes, said the official.
Meanwhile, a speeding Audi car approached the intersection and lost control in a bid to prevent ramming into the SX4, but ended up hitting several other vehicles, including the PCR van, two cars (a Zen Estilo and an Alto) and a few motorbikes, the official said.
"The five injured persons were rushed to a hospital and a case of rash driving has been registered," said DCP (New Delhi) Jatin Narwal.
When the police checked records, it emerged that the Audi car belongs to a Patel Nagar-based businessman. However, preliminary investigation has revealed that the owner was not driving the vehicle at the time of the incident, said a police official.
Search is on for the driver, the official added.