MUMBAI: Auto driver Ganesh Yadav (36) died after an SUV ran over him while his friend Bablu Shrivastav (36), a courier delivery boy, escaped with bruises to his face and left hand, while they were sleeping on Versova beach early on Monday. Police have arrested the SUV driver, Nikhil Jawade (34), from Nagpur and his friend, Shubham Dongare (33), from Airoli.Both accused are partners in a cab service business.
The tragedy took place five-and-a-half hours after the victims, both residents of a slum in Sagar Kutir Rahivasi Sangh, decided to sleep on the beach to escape the heat.
The accused were produced before Andheri court on Tuesday and remanded in five days of police custody.
The incident took place at 5.45am on Monday when the speeding SUV entered the beach against rules and ran over Yadav while barely missing Shrivastav’s face. “The driver and his friend were arrested within a few hours of the offence. While prima facie, they do not seem to have been drunk, their blood samples have been collected,” said DCP (Zone IX) Raj Tilak Roshan.
Shrivastav, who survived the incident, is struggling to come to terms with the sudden loss of his friend. “At 12.05am Monday I met Yadav who said he planned to sleep on the beach as it was hot in his room. I agreed and both of us went to the beach around 12.30am with mats and slept. Yadav was sleeping to my left. At 5.45am, I woke up with a jolt as I felt something hit my head and face, only to discover my friend lying in a pool of blood, having been run over by an SUV,” Shrivastav told TOI.
Despite vehicles not being allowed on the beach, the SUV entered through a narrow route passing through hutments. Locals who witnessed the incident suspect that the two accused were drunk. “A local captured the vehicle number on his phone, which helped Versova police track the duo within three hours of the incident. Locals tried to stop the SUV but the accused tried to run them over,” said Ganesh Thakur who runs Pravasi Sangh, an organisation for migrants.
The tragedy took place five-and-a-half hours after the victims, both residents of a slum in Sagar Kutir Rahivasi Sangh, decided to sleep on the beach to escape the heat.
The accused were produced before Andheri court on Tuesday and remanded in five days of police custody.
The incident took place at 5.45am on Monday when the speeding SUV entered the beach against rules and ran over Yadav while barely missing Shrivastav’s face. “The driver and his friend were arrested within a few hours of the offence. While prima facie, they do not seem to have been drunk, their blood samples have been collected,” said DCP (Zone IX) Raj Tilak Roshan.
Shrivastav, who survived the incident, is struggling to come to terms with the sudden loss of his friend. “At 12.05am Monday I met Yadav who said he planned to sleep on the beach as it was hot in his room. I agreed and both of us went to the beach around 12.30am with mats and slept. Yadav was sleeping to my left. At 5.45am, I woke up with a jolt as I felt something hit my head and face, only to discover my friend lying in a pool of blood, having been run over by an SUV,” Shrivastav told TOI.
Despite vehicles not being allowed on the beach, the SUV entered through a narrow route passing through hutments. Locals who witnessed the incident suspect that the two accused were drunk. “A local captured the vehicle number on his phone, which helped Versova police track the duo within three hours of the incident. Locals tried to stop the SUV but the accused tried to run them over,” said Ganesh Thakur who runs Pravasi Sangh, an organisation for migrants.