CCTV footage helps police identify hit-and-run victim

45-year-old man identified as Vijay Kumar Gautam from Jaunpur died in hit-and-run near Shatabdi Hospital in Kandivali, Mumbai. Police used CCTV footage for identification.

MUMBAI: The 45-year-old man who died in a hit-and-run accident near Shatabdi Hospital in Kandivali on February 16 has been identified as Vijay Kumar Gautam from Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh. The Kandivali police traced the man’s identity with the help of CCTV footage from the area where the accident occurred after struggling for leads for nearly two weeks, said police officials.

HT Image

On February 16, the police registered a case of accidental death after a doctor at the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Shatabdi Hospital intimated them about an unidentified man, who was brought dead to the hospital by three women and a man. The autopsy revealed ‘head injury’ as the cause of death, while on February 21, the doctor who conducted the post- mortem told the police that the victim had a ‘history of road traffic accident’.

The police began scanning CCTV footage of the area around Shatabdi hospital after getting the post-mortem report. Upon studying the footage closely, they saw the victim buying some medicines at the All India Drugs House near Kandivali railway station on February 16, the day of the accident.

“We checked with the chemist and found a copy of his Aadhaar card, which helped us ascertain his identity,” said a police officer. The police called the mobile number listed in the Aadhaar card but it was switched off, while the police station at Jaunpur but could not find any of his relatives, the officer added.

The police have registered a case of death due to negligence under section 304 (a) of the Indian Penal Code and rash and dangerous driving under the Motor Vehicles Act. They are also trying to find out where Gautam worked in Mumbai and if he had any relatives or friends in the city.