Drunk cabbie arrested for running over priest

A taxi driver in Mumbai was arrested for drunk driving and running over a senior citizen, a priest, who later died of his injuries. The driver has been sent to police custody.

MUMBAI: A taxi driver was arrested for allegedly running over a senior citizen, a priest, while drunk driving on Nanabhai Moos Marg near Afghan Church bus stop in Colaba on Sunday, according to Cuffe-Parade police.

HT Image

The police said Arun Atmaram Parab, 65, a resident of Lalbaug, had stepped out for a walk at around 8 am and was crossing the road when the cabbie, Azrarruddin Aslam Khan 38, ran him over. The accused has been sent to police custody till April 5.

The police said Parab was a priest in a Hanuman temple in Lalbaug and was unmarried. He used to visit Vinay Health Home Hotel in Charni Road for breakfast every Sunday. However, they are not sure why he was in Colaba that day.

Khan, a resident of Geeta Nagar, Cuffe-Parade, was heading from Colaba to Cuffe-Parade when the accident took place.

The accused was driving near the Afghan Church bus stop and didn’t notice Parab, who was crossing the road and rammed his vehicle into him. The senior citizen suffered serious injuries to his head and was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead.

“Meanwhile, passersby caught hold of Khan, who was initially booked under section 279 for rash driving or riding on a public way. However, because he smelt of alcohol, he was taken to a hospital, where it was confirmed that he was drunk,” said a police officer.

“Khan was aware that he was drunk and yet, decided to drive the car. We have applied stringent section of 304(2) of IPC punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder,” said Dilip Sawant, additional commissioner of police, South region.

The RTO has been informed to inspect Khan’s car and find out at what speed he was driving when the accident took place.

“Statements of witnesses have been recorded and samples of blood from the accident spot have been sent to forensic laboratory in Kalina. After it was confirmed that Khan was drunk, section 185 of M V Act, 1988, driving by a drunken person or by a person under the influence of drugs have been been applied,” said a police officer.

The police said Parab’s nephew Atmaram Parab lodged a case in the matter after the doctors said Parab died due to unnatural cause — head Injury.