Cabbie runs over airport security guard, hunt launched

Mumbai The Sahar police has launched a manhunt to nab a taxi driver who allegedly ran over the leg of a security guard employed at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport

Mumbai The Sahar police has launched a manhunt to nab a taxi driver who allegedly ran over the leg of a security guard employed at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. The accused allegedly committed the crime because the guard tried to penalize him for flouting airport rules.

Cabbie runs over airport security guard, hunt launched

According to Sahar police, the incident occurred at the Gate No 7 leading out of the airport. The police said that cabbies are supposed to drop the passengers at the departure terminal and proceed towards the exit without stopping, so as to not create a traffic backlog.

The guard, Sunil Raul (48), was on duty to ensure this when he saw the taxi drop off a passenger, drive ahead for a minute and then stop again.

“When I approached him to say that he shouldn’t stop there, he started reversing the cab against the one-way flow of traffic, which put other vehicles at the risk of collision. I rushed over and asked him to stop, and he stopped and turned, bringing his taxi to a halt in a horizontal position, even as other vehicles drove past him,” Raul said in his statement to the police.

Raul then told the cabbie that he would have to pay a fine but he refused. Realising the futility of an argument, Raul went over to the front of the cab, stood a few meters away and started taking pictures of the cab, so as to capture its license plate and the driver’s face. The driver, however, suddenly fired up the ignition and sped straight towards Raul.

“The guard tried jumping out of the taxi’s path but could not do so in time. He was knocked down and the driver did not even slow down, driving over his right leg before speeding away,” said an officer with the Sahar police station.

The officer added that other motorists and staff at the scene, rushed over after hearing Raul’s cries and called for an ambulance to take him to the Cooper Hospital, where he is currently admitted. After recording his statement at the hospital, the police registered an FIR of rash and negligent driving and causing injury due to rash behaviour under the Indian Penal Code, along with relevant sections of the Motor Vehicles Act.

“One of the eyewitnesses had seen the license plate number of the taxi and we using it to find the driver’s details from the Regional Transport Office,” the officer said.