JCB driver held for running over woman in Bandra

The accused was carrying out excavation work at Chimbai Ground in Bandra (west), failed to notice the woman and ran over her, the police said

MUMBAI: A 40-year-old JCB operator from Powai was booked on Sunday for allegedly running over an elderly woman while reversing the vehicle the previous night. The accused was carrying out excavation work at Chimbai Ground in Bandra (west), failed to notice the woman and ran over her, the police said.

JCB driver held for running over woman in Bandra

According to the police, the incident occurred around 8 pm on Saturday when the elderly woman, a pavement dweller, was sleeping inside the ground. The driver failed to notice her while reversing the JCB during excavation work and ran over her waist and legs, critically injuring her. A passerby, Prafull Makhwana, 25, who was standing near the ground’s gate, witnessed the incident and alerted the police. Following this, the police arrived at the spot and found a crowd gathered about 20 metres inside the ground, who caught hold of the driver and handed him to the police.

“The injured woman was rushed to Bhabha Hospital, where she died on Sunday morning while undergoing treatment,” said a police officer.

Subsequently, the police registered a case against the JCB driver, identified as Salim Noor Khan, under Sections 106(1) (causing death by negligence) and 125 (endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act. On Sunday, he was issued a notice of appearance and allowed to leave since he caused death due to negligence, the officer said.

In a separate incident, a 38-year-old man from Sakinaka was booked for allegedly allowing a minor to drive his car, which was later involved in a road accident on Friday night. According to the police, Afzal Mehboob Khan, a resident of Sangharsh Nagar in Sakinaka, had given his car to a 17-year-old boy, identified as Ayan Firoz Khan, a resident of Marol in Andheri (East). On Friday night, the minor was allegedly speeding the car, lost control and collided with an iron railing on the footpath before ramming into a parked scooter.