Policeman’s son detained in senior citizen’s fatal hit-and-run in Prabhadevi

Police currently believe the incident was accidental but continue their investigation. Gavkar has been booked under Sections 106 (causing death by negligence) and 281 (rash and negligent driving) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023—both bailable offences. He was released after being served a notice

Mumbai: A day after launching an investigation into the hit-and-run death of an 85-year-old businessman in Prabhadevi, the Dadar police detained and questioned the son of a police officer, who admitted that his vehicle had struck the senior citizen.

Policeman’s son detained in senior citizen’s fatal hit-and-run in Prabhadevi

The victim, Balraj Permanand Mehra, a resident of Asha Mahal on Peddar Road, was walking along Dr Annie Besant Road on Sunday when an unidentified two-wheeler hit him. Mehra was rushed to BYL Nair Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries on Monday.

Following a probe, police traced the vehicle to Yash Nandkumar Gavkar, a chef at a Prabhadevi restaurant and a resident of Worli Koliwada. “We detained and questioned Gavkar after collecting statements from multiple society watchmen. He claimed that after hitting Mehra, he stopped and offered medical assistance, but Mehra declined, saying his staff would take care of him,” a Dadar police officer said.

After Mehra’s death, his family suspected foul play, citing his ongoing legal battle with a builder over a disputed three-storey property, Mehra House, on Hind Cycle Road in Worli. Mehra had previously approached the Bombay High Court, alleging threats, document forgery, and an attempted forced takeover of the property. The case had been transferred to the Economic Offences Wing (EOW), which is now reviewing its status.

Police currently believe the incident was accidental but continue their investigation. Gavkar has been booked under Sections 106 (causing death by negligence) and 281 (rash and negligent driving) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023—both bailable offences. He was released after being served a notice.

“Mehra’s family has not formally approached us again. They only conveyed their suspicions orally through their counsel,” the officer added.

Mehra’s daughter, Anita Sharma, 67, who has been settled in the US since 2005, arrived in Mumbai on February 16 for medical treatment and to visit her father. On March 16, she was informed by Manish Barkhada, Mehra’s property manager, that her father had been hit near Thapar House at Babasaheb Worlikar Chowk in Worli.

Eyewitness Jyoti Kudalkar used Mehra’s phone to report the accident, prompting her and security guard Kishan Poddar to rush to the scene. They found Mehra bleeding heavily at a bus stop and took him to the hospital, where he died at 1 am.