Internet star Danish Zehen was supposed to meet cousin before crash

Danish Zehen's car crashed on his way home from a wedding early Thursday evening. Pic/Instagram

"Abhi aau kya? [Should I come now?]" These were among the last words Internet sensation Danish Zehen said to his cousin, minutes before he died in a car crash in the wee hours of Thursday. Thousands of youngsters thronged his family home in Kurla to pay tribute to the rising star, who had 1.2 million followers on Instagram and over 3.7 lakh subscribers on YouTube. Danish was also a contestant on the reality TV series Ace Of Space.

Last call
On Wednesday night, on his way home from a wedding, he received a video call from his cousin, Vajahad Khan. "I had gone to Kuwait four months ago for work, and returned home last night. Around midnight, I made a video call to him. I told him I had come back, and he was so happy," recalls Vajahad.

Danish Zehen

"I asked him when we could meet, and he replied, 'Aabhi aau kya?' I laughed and told him we will meet tomorrow, but unfortunately everything ended," said Vajahad.Around 12.30 am, Danish reached Vashi bridge and lost control over his car, colliding with a big rock by the road. The car was flung into the air and brought a light pole crashing down.

Danish suffered head injuries, while his friend, Samir, lost consciousness, with bruises to the face and shoulders. The Mankhurd police registered a case against Danish under Sections 279 (rash driving) and 304 (a) (endangering life or personal safety of others) of the IPC. "Prima facie, it looks like the deceased lost control of his car," said Nitin Bobde, senior inspector of Mankhurd police station.

Thousands of youngsters thronged Danish Zehen's family home in Kurla to pay tribute to the deceased star. Pic/Shadab Khan

Family and friends say
Vajahad remembered his cousin as a hard worker: "Both of us used to sell fish after school; that's how we bought our first bike. He was hardworking and had unique ideas. He was always more interested in fashion and hair styles than studies, but I was sure that he would shoot to fame one day."

Mansoor Khan, Danish's neighbor, said, "We have been getting calls since morning. He was such a handsome and well-mannered boy. He has left just as he was starting to get the fruits of his struggle."

Vajahad Khan, Danish's cousin

Vikas Gupta, reality star and TV producer, said, "Danish had taken a break [from Ace Of Space] due to some personal emergency and was supposed to come back in the last week of the show. I have no idea how I will tell the rest of the contestants that he is not coming back ever. It's too tragic to handle and that's why I will be on the set all night to help everyone cope."

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