Speeding vehicle kills labourer on Mumbai-Nashik highway

A 28-year-old construction worker in Thane was killed on Friday, after a speeding SUV knocked him down on the Mumbai-Nashik highway. The victim, identified as Vitthal Madhav Singh Pawar, had been trying to cross the road near Majiwada, Thane at around 9 am when a Range Rover slammed into him, killing him on the spot.

The incident took place on the Mumbai-Nashik highway, when an SUV crashed into the victim who was crossing the road

"A blue-coloured car was coming at high speed. The driver did not see the man crossing the road and knocked him down. The impact was such that the man was thrown almost 50 metres away," described an eyewitness at the scene. Pawar, a daily-wage labourer who lived in a nearby shanty, was rushed to Thane civil hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival.

The SUV is in custody of the Kapurbawdi police station officials. Pic/Sameer Markande

He had moved to the city from Nanded about two months ago, looking for work, and was the sole earning member of his family which includes his wife, a two-year-old son and a nine-month-old daughter.

"I had asked him not to go to work today, but he did not listen. For the past three days he had looked uneasy and had barely spoken to me. I wish I could have stopped him from going out," said the victim's wife, Deepa. The vehicle's driver, Rafeek Rahaman Sheikh (30) is currently in custody at the Kapurbawdi police station in Thane.

Cop speak
"The accused was driving a Land Rover registered with the number plate MH05-AX9009. He was heading towards Mahabaleshwar when the incident took place.

After that he surrendered at the police station and was booked under section 304 (A), 279 of the Indian Penal Code, and under section 184 of the Motor Vehicle Act," said an official at the police station.

The victim's neighbours said that Pawar's body would be sent to his hometown once all necessary procedures at the hospital were completed.