3 succumb to injuries in sea link accident; driver booked

The deceased were among the six members of a family from Gujarat who were on their way back home, after a short vacation in Mahabaleshwar. The driver of the car, a silver Innova, Sarfaraz Mohammed Yusuf Sheikh, 50, has been booked for culpable homicide and causing grievous injuries to others due to negligence

MUMBAI: Three people -- a 91-year-old woman, her 55-year-old daughter and 60-year-old son-in-law – succumbed to injuries suffered in the accident on Bandra Worli Sea Link (BWSL) on Thursday at 10:45pm, allegedly caused by their own hired driver.

Mumbai, India - Nov 10, 2023 : 3 People Died, 2 people serius and 4 people injured in a Major 5 to 6 cars accident near Bandra Worli Sea Link Toll Plaza at Bandra, in Mumbai, India, Friday, Nov 10, 2023. (Photo by Vijay Bate/HT Photo)

The deceased were among the six members of a family from Gujarat who were on their way back home, after a short vacation in Mahabaleshwar. The driver of the car, a silver Innova, Sarfaraz Mohammed Yusuf Sheikh, 50, has been booked for culpable homicide and causing grievous injuries to others due to negligence.

The accident occurred when Sheikh, driving from the Worli end, lost control of the car -- because of exhaustion, suspected Bandra police -- and first dashed into the railing of the sea link. In order to save the vehicle from plunging into the sea, he sharply swerved to his right. As a result, the car collided with a Mercedes that was running in the next lane. Fearing repercussions of his wrongdoing and damaging an expensive car, he made an attempt to speed away but ended up crashing into a taxi and a Honda car, belonging to a resident of Chandivali. Both vehicles were stationary at the toll plaza.

“The driver feared action from the Mercedes owner, as the car suffered a bump and some scratches. He tried to flee but ended up colliding into the other car ahead of him after brushing past a taxi,” said an officer from Bandra police.

The deceased were identified as Khatija Suleman Hatiya, the nonagenarian who is a non-resident Indian from Canada. She was visiting her daughter Hawagori Hanif Peer and son-in-law Hanif Peer in Surat. All three succumbed to injuries suffered in the accident on Friday.

The other three passengers in the car, Asin Suleman Sadar, 71, and her sisters-in-law Hajra Ahmed Sadar, 45, and Maimoona Yakoob Sadar, 45, sustained severe injuries and are admitted at Bhabha Hospital, in Bandra, along with the driver Sheikh.

“Phuphi (father’s sister) was here from Canada for a while and wanted to make plans with the family,” said Mohsin Sadar, 24, Maimoona’s son. The family owns a farm in Ankleshwar, in Bharuch district of Gujarat.

It was Hatiya’s desire to take a trip to Mahabaleshwar with all her sisters-in-law. “Thursday was their last day in Mumbai. We were expecting a call telling us they were close home; instead, we got a call from Bandra police, informing us about the accident,” said Mohsin.

On the other hand, the Honda car that the Innova crashed into was occupied by Chandivali resident Rajshree Dave Ghidiyal, a yoga trainer. She was being driven by her chauffer Rakesh Vishwakarma. “They are both in critical condition in Lilavati Hospital,” said the police officer.

Ghidiyal’s husband is a high-ranking executive in a logistics firm headquartered in Singapore. “He was in Singapore at the time of the accident. We tried to call him from his wife’s phone a couple of times, but he failed to pick up our calls. We finally managed to speak to him on a WhatsApp call later and told him what had happened,” said a policeman. He got in touch with the family in the city who quickly came to the hospital, he added.

The fourth vehicle – a taxi -- damaged in the accident was being run by an elderly taximan Nisar Ahmed. “Fortunately, my taxi was a little further. Since I was ahead of them, I didn’t see much. I just heard the noise of the two cars colliding,” he said.

Sheikh has been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Motor Vehicles Act.

Sheikh is also admitted to the hospital and hence not been arrested. Cops informed that his blood sample was taken for a blood alcohol test.