Biker killed in accident, pillion rider critical

A 24-year-old man died and his friend was injured after their sports bike fell off a bridge in Lower Parel, Mumbai. Police suspect racing was involved.

MUMBAI: A 24-year-old-man died while his friend was injured after their sports bike fell off the Dattaji Nalawade bridge near Pheonix Tower in Lower Parel in the wee hours on Thursday. The police suspect that the duo was racing when the accident took place. The injured person is being treated in a hospital.

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According to the N M Joshi Marg police, the incident took place around 3.30am on Thursday night and was reported to them by Subodh Kumar Ramnarayan Singh, 37, a tourist taxi driver employed with Akbar Travels.

“I was going from Mumbai Central towards Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport after dropping a passenger. When I reached Dattaji Nalawade bridge, a biker headed towards south Mumbai on a speeding KTM bike dashed the road divider and crashed into my vehicle from the front. Fortunately for me, the airbags opened in nick of time and I escaped with minor scratches,” said Singh.

He said the impact was such that his vehicle’s engine got jammed and the bonnet was badly damaged. “One of them fell towards the right side of my car and the other fell down the bridge. I immediately dialled 100 and called the police for help,” said Singh.

Singh and other people took the rider, who had fallen on the bridge to KEM Hospital in a taxi. He was later identified as Usman Faizan Khan, 24, a resident of Bharat Nagar in Worli and was declared dead on arrival by doctors at the civic hospital.

Meanwhile, police found the other man who was riding pillion on the two-wheeler Dr E Moses Road at Worli Naka. He was identified as Alpesh Santosh Jadhav, 25, and rushed to BYL Nair Hospital, where he undergoing treatment.

“We suspect the two were racing as there were some more bikers who fled from the spot immediately after the accident took place,” said a police officer. Based on the complaint lodged by the taxi driver, Khan was booked under sections 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way), 304A (causing death by negligence), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Motor Vehicles Act.

“We are yet to record the statement of Jadhav as he is still critical. They had not told anything to family members and had left home early in the night,” said the police.