SUV runs over men sleeping on Versova beach; 1 killed
An SUV ran over two men sleeping on the Versova beach in Mumbai in the early hours of Monday, killing one of them—a 36-year-old auto-rickshaw driver. The driver of the SUV and his friend were later arrested by the police. The deceased has been identified as Ganesh Vikram Yadav. The other victim, a delivery boy named Bablu Shrivastava, sustained injuries in the incident.
SUV driver, friend arrested; sent to 5-day police custody
The driver of the SUV, Nikhil Dilip Jawate (34), and his friend Shubham Ashok Dongre (33), were produced in an Andheri court and sent to five-day police custody on Tuesday. Their blood samples have been sent for testing to determine if they were driving under influence. According to reports, Yadav and Shrivastava were sleeping on the Versova beach due to the heat and humidity, when the SUV ran over them.
Yadav, Shrivastava were sleeping on beach due to heat
Shrivastava told the police that he was awakened by a blunt impact on his head and hand at around 5:45 am. "I saw a car running over Ganesh, who was sleeping beside me. He sustained serious injuries to his head and face, and was lying unconscious," Shrivastava told the police. "Two men got out of the white SUV... Upon seeing Yadav seriously injured... they fled the scene as people began to gather," he added.
Yadav was declared dead at Cooper Hospital
Yadav's brother Bajrangi rushed him and Shrivastava to Cooper Hospital, where Yadav was declared dead. Senior inspector Ganesh Pawar of Versova police station stated that Jawate was dropping off a customer in Mumbai and had borrowed the vehicle for a cab service. "Vehicles are not allowed on the beach. But, they somehow managed to enter. They were aware that people were sleeping on the beach when they drove the vehicle over them," he said.
Jawate borrowed vehicle for cab service, says senior inspector
Senior inspector Ganesh Pawar stated that Jawate was dropping off a customer in Mumbai and had borrowed the vehicle for a cab service. "Vehicles are not allowed on the beach. But, they somehow managed to enter," he said. Based on Bablu's statement, the police launched a hunt for the grey Jeep Compass and found the accused had taken the Jogeshwari Vikhroli Link Road and had gone toward the Nashik Highway. A few hours later, the vehicle was traced near Igatpuri.
