Techie held for crashing Audi into two autos

The damaged auto-rickshaw and Audi in Mulund. Pics/Rajesh Gupta

A 43-year-old man employed at a software company was arrested by the Mulund police for rash driving and colliding with two auto-rickshaws and injuring four people, including two auto-rickshaw drivers and two passengers. The accused allegedly fled the scene but was later held by the police. Following his arrest, police grew suspicious when they could smell alcohol on him. To confirm if he was drunk, they have taken his blood sample and sent it to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for testing.

According to the police, on the morning of July 22 at 6.15 am, an Audi driver was driving recklessly and hit an auto-rickshaw head-on. This caused the auto-rickshaw to collide with another one from behind. The incident occurred on Dumping Road in Mulund West. Instead of assisting the injured, the driver fled the scene, leaving his mobile phone behind. "A total of four people were injured in the incident and were taken to the hospital where they were treated and later released," said a police officer. "A case was registered based on a complaint from Prakash Jadhav, and an investigation was started," he added.

The injured include Prakash Jadhav, 46, an employee with BEST, and Hanmant Chavan, 57, who works in the railways. Both are residents of Mulund and were travelling in separate auto-rickshaws toward the railway station for work. The two auto-rickshaw drivers are identified as Santosh Walekar, 49, and Vivek Jaiswal, 26.

Senior Police Inspector Ajay Joshi confirmed the details of the accident and said, "The accused, Vijay Dattarey Gore, 43, a resident of Runwal Forest in Kanjurmarg, had fled the scene without helping the injured. We traced the owner of the vehicle; he had sold the car to Gore, who was found hiding at his sister's place. He was detained and arrested."

Vehicles damaged in the accident. Pics/Rajesh Gupta

The Mulund police have charged Gore under sections 281 and 125 of the Bharatiya Nayaya Sanhita 2023, and sections 184 and 134 of the Motor Vehicle Act. "Our investigation revealed that the accused first went to a hotel in Bhandup, where he consumed alcohol, as evidenced by receipts. He then travelled to Thane for more drinks before returning to Mulund. Despite his claim of not knowing how he ended up in Mulund, his breath smelled of alcohol. We have added charges under section 110 of BNS and section 185 of the Motor Vehicle Act. Both the auto-rickshaws and the Audi, which were extensively damaged, are held at the police station," said the officer.

Prakash Jadhav's relative stated that Jadhav was on his way to Mulund railway station for work when the accident occurred. The doctor confirmed that while Jadhav had injuries to his hand, Chavan and the auto-rickshaw drivers suffered severe leg fractures due to the collision. All are receiving treatment.