FIR registered in Aug 25 hit-and-run on EEH

Police registered a case in a hit-and-run that killed 63-year-old Ghulam Mohammad Shaikh on August 25; his family identified him on September 10.

MUMBAI: Over a month after a 63-year-old pedestrian was killed in a hit-and-run on the Eastern Express Highway, the Pant Nagar police in Ghatkopar have registered a case against an unidentified driver of an unknown vehicle involved in the incident. The accident took place on August 25, but the deceased was identified by his family members only on September 10, and the FIR was registered on October 3.

FIR registered in Aug 25 hit-and-run on EEH

The police said the deceased, Ghulam Mohammad Shaikh, left his home in Vikhroli East around 11.30 am on August 25 to have tea but did not return, after which his family members reported him missing. The Park Site police in Vikhroli registered a missing person report based on a complaint from Shaikh’s son, Peer Mohammad Shaikh.

Around 3.40 pm the same day, a patrolling police van noticed a man lying dead on the Eastern Express Highway near Ramabai Nagar and took him to Rajawadi Hospital for a post-mortem. The body, however, remained unidentified, as the police did not find any identity document with the deceased. The police also could not identify the vehicle that hit the deceased as the spot where the incident took place was not covered by CCTV cameras.

The police then circulated photographs of the deceased to all police stations across the city but did not get any response for days, said assistant police inspector Sachin Patil of the Pant Nagar police station. Eventually, on September 10, Shaikh’s family members approached the Pant Nagar police after they were informed by the Park Site police about a body being found on the highway. The family members were asked to go to Rajawadi Hospital, where they identified the deceased as the 63-year-old Shaikh, added Patil.

Initially, the family was reluctant to lodge a formal complaint to enable the police to register an FIR, said Patil, “But on October 3, they approached us, and based on their complaint, we have registered an FIR against the unidentified vehicle driver under section 106 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita,” added the officer.

The police do not have any substantial leads yet regarding the unidentified accused.