Speeding dumper truck mows down 59-year-old woman in Kalina

Mumbai police arrested a 21-year-old truck driver for killing a 59-year-old woman in a Santacruz accident. Neighbors rally to support her orphaned grandchildren.

Mumbai: The police have arrested a 21-year-old dumper truck driver for mowing down a 59-year-old woman in Kalina, Santacruz East on Saturday afternoon.

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The officials said the victim, identified as Lalitha Hanchate, was a househelp and was on her way to work towards the Kalina Market when the truck hit her from her left side at high speed, killing her on the spot.

Hanchate lived with her grandson, Hitesh Jadhav, 15, and granddaughter, Priyal Jadhav, 12, at a rented house in Kalina. “Hanchate’s husband had died a few years ago. She was the only one who took care of the grandkids after her daughter died in an accident 10 years ago in Santacruz. The daughter was divorced and the father of the children does not keep in touch with them,” said an officer.

The news of her death has left everyone in the neighbourhood in shock. “Lalita was running her household by working very hard. She paid ₹4,500 per month and got her two grandchildren admitted to a private school in Kalina so that they receive a good education. The neighbours have now come together to help the children,” said Hanchate’s neighbour, Atul Krishna Gaikwad, 37, an employee at a private firm, who filed a police complaint at Vakola police station against the 21-year-old rash driver, Pawan Gajanan Chaugule, a resident of Devinagar area near IIT Powai.

Senior inspector Prakash Khandekar of the Vakola police station said, “We have registered an FIR under section 281 (rash driving) and 106 (1) (causing death of any person due to rash and negligent act) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against the dumper driver and arrested him.”

All the neighbours in Hanchate’s area gathered on Saturday to pool money to help the children continue their education and pay the rent for the home. “We will also meet the school principal and request the teachers to waive the fees. Few people are ready to take care of rent and we would provide them food,” said Gaikwad, who came to know about the accident at 1.30pm when the news of the incident spread in the neighbourhood..

“I was at home and some people in the area were talking about a woman from our neighbourhood being hit by a dumper at the junction on the road in front of Geeta Vihar Hotel. So I rushed to the accident spot and Hanchate’s grandson Hitesh also reached there,” added Gaikwad.

Hanchate was rushed to VN Desai Hospital where she was declared dead upon arrival. “The children are minor so one of her distant relatives lives in Karnataka and was informed about the incident and so they are on their way to Mumbai after that the hospital will hand over the body to them,” said Gaikwad.