Mumbai News: 1 killed, 1 injured after SUV runs over sleeping men at Versova beach

Both were produced in an Andheri court and sent to five-day police custody.

Date: August 14, 2024

Two men out on a joyride in Mumbai ran over two men sleeping at Versova beach on Monday morning, August 12. Of the two victims, a 36-year-old man, who was an auto-rickshaw driver was killed and the other person was injured.

The driver of the SUV and his friend were arrested on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder following an extensive search. They fled the scene without assisting the injured or informing the authorities.The police have sent their blood samples for testing to determine if they were intoxicated.

According to reports, the victim was identified as Ganesh Vikram Yadav from Sagar Kutir area and the injured man as Bablu Shrivastava, who is a delivery boy from Andheri.

Police said the incident took place early on Monday (August 12) when the two friends were sleeping outside due to the heat and humidity.

“Around 5.45 am, I was abruptly awakened by a blunt impact on my head and hand. 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. Two men got out of the white SUV… Upon seeing Yadav seriously injured… they fled the scene as people began to gather,” Shrivastava told police in his statement, as per a report published in The Indian Express.

Police further said Ganesh’s brother Bajrangi Yadav rushed them to Cooper Hospital, but the auto-rickshaw driver was declared dead there. An FIR was registered based on Shrivastava’s statement and other witness statements.

The police immediately launched a manhunt for the suspects.

After an extensive search, the two suspects, Nikhil Dilip Jawate, 34, of Nagpur, and Shubham Ashok Dongre, 33, of Airoli, Navi Mumbai, were apprehended after their SUV was traced.

An official stated that vehicles are not allowed on the beach. But they somehow managed to enter the beach area. The suspects were aware that people were sleeping on the beach when they drove the vehicle over them.

Both were produced in an Andheri court and sent to five-day police custody on Tuesday, August 13.

The two accused have been charged under several sections, including 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 125A (negligent act causing hurt), 239 (intentional omission to give information of an offense by a person bound to inform), 281 (rash driving or riding on a public way), 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), and 134A (failure to secure medical attention for the injured) and 134B (failure to inform the police to provide help to the injured) of the Motor Vehicle Act.