58-year-old runner dies after being hit by speeding car at Worli

Rajalakshmi recently ran the full marathon in the Tata Mumbai Marathon. Her Linkedin profile, after the marathon, had Ronald Rooks’ quote on it: ‘I don’t run to add days to my life, I run to add life to my days

Mumbai: On Sunday morning, 58-year-old Rajalakshmi Vijay Ramakrishnan, the chief executive officer of a private firm, was jogging at Worli Sea Face when a speeding car hit her and flung her several feet away, killing her on the spot. The accident occurred when the accused, Sumer Merchant, who was driving his Tata Nexon car, was on the way to drop his friends at Shivaji Park after partying with them the whole night.

58-year-old runner dies after being hit by speeding car at Worli

“The police have registered a case under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal code and Motor Vehicles Act against the 23-year-old driver,” said Joint commissioner of police Satyanarayan Chaudhary (law and order). According to him, while in most accident cases Section 304 A of the IPC (causing death due to rash and negligent driving) is invoked, the harsher section has been applied, as the police want to send out a strong message to motorists.

Rajalakshmi and her husband Vijay left home around 5 am and went to Mahalaxmi Racecourse, where they joined other group members who had come there to exercise and run. After completing their routine workout, the couple left the racecourse. Thereafter, Vijay went towards Peddar Road for some more jogging while Rajalakshmi decided to jog back home. Being a marathon enthusiast, she decided to take a longer route and hence went to Worli Sea Face.

The car then crashed into the divider on the right side. Both the front airbags got deployed and Merchant sustained only a minor injury. Bystanders at the spot informed the police control room, and within a few minutes a police vehicle reached the spot and took Merchant into custody.

“Our men took the victim to hospital,” said a senior police official. “No one could identify her, as she was not carrying any documents. The police got a few details from her phone, and started calling people in her recent call logs. They then informed one of her group members. Her husband was informed at around 8 am and came to the hospital.”

The post-mortem was conducted in Nair Hospital and the body was shifted to another hospital. “Since her son is in London, the final rites will be conducted when he returns,” said a security guard of the Balaji Garden building, who added that Vijay returned home at 7.45 am on the fateful day. “Around 8 am, two people came into the building and said they wanted to talk to him,” he said. “He came down to the building waiting area a few minutes later, after which he left with the two men.”

Sumer Merchant, who lives in Tardeo with his parents and younger brother, works in a private firm. His parents were in Himachal Pradesh when he organised a party at his place and invited two of his friends. They consumed alcohol at night, but it is not clear whether Merchant was under the influence of alcohol at the time of driving. “His blood sample has been taken and sent for testing,” said a police officer.

The deceased stayed on the seventh floor of Balaji Garden Tower B, opposite Indian Gymkhana, Matunga (East) with her husband Vijay Ramakrishnan and their son, who is studying in London. Vijay is a scientist in a private firm in Pune while Rajalakshmi was the CEO of Altruist Technologies Private Limited.