Dharavi resident dies in hit-and-run in Kharghar, 10 injured

A joyride for 11 dancers from Dharavi ended tragically in Kharghar, with one dead and ten injured after a speeding car struck their bikes.

NAVI MUMBAI: A late-night joyride turned tragic for a group of 11 young dancers from Dharavi on Wednesday after a speeding car rammed into their bikes at Kharghar. One rider died and ten people escaped with injuries. The driver was identified and booked but yet to be arrested.

Dharavi resident dies in hit-and-run in Kharghar, 10 injured

The dancers left Dharavi at 3 am on Wednesday on their impromptu trip to Lonavala on six bikes. Around 4.45 am, when they were on the Hiranandani Bridge in Kharghar, a white Fiat Linea Emotion allegedly speeding struck the first bike from behind, fatally injuring 22-year-old Manav Yellappa Kunchikorve. “The impact was so bad that the rider was flung off the bridge,” said a police officer.

Moments later, the car crashed into a second bike that was being ridden by Sagar Devalla, 23. It dragged him and his vehicle several metres across the bridge. According to the complaint, the car then continued to hit other scooters in the group before finally coming to a halt as Sagar’s bike got lodged underneath. The driver then abandoned his car and allegedly fled on foot.

Manav was rushed to Panvel Rural Hospital in an unconscious state and was declared dead at 5.30 am during treatment. Some of the others in the group were taken to the same hospital, the rest to the MGM Hospital in Kamothe. While some sustained minor injuries, several, including Naveen Rava, 23, suffered serious head injuries and bodily trauma.

Based on the complaint filed by one of the riders, Ashish Kumar Ashok Shahu, the Panvel Taluka police registered a case against the driver under various sections of the Motor Vehicle Act, including Section 134 (A) (B) (Duty of driver in case of accident and injury to a person) and 184 (dangerous driving) and section 106 (causing death by negligence), 125 (A) (B) (endangering personal life and safety of others) and 281 (rash or negligent driving) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

“The car was seized, and the vehicle details were used to trace the accused driver as Vaibhav Chandrakant Dhere, 24. He is a resident of Pimpri Chinchwad. Further process is underway,” said senior inspector Ajay Kamble.