Taxi runs over mother of four in Wadala

The accused – identified as Nasir Sheikh – was at such a high speed that the impact of the accident did not stop his taxi.

Mumbai: A 34-year-old mother of four lost her life after being run over by a speeding taxi in Wadala. Her three daughters and one son were with her at the time of the accident. The taxi driver was arrested on Saturday night.

Taxi runs over mother of four in Wadala

The accused – identified as Nasir Sheikh – was at such a high speed that the impact of the accident did not stop his taxi.

As per the police, the incident occurred on Saturday around 8.15 pm on the road leading from the Antop Hill Warehousing Complex to the Dosti Acres society in Wadala. The police said that the victim, Supriya Kattimanigaudar, was walking towards her residence on Salt Pan Road in Antop Hill when the accident occurred.

“The taxi, which was at a very high speed, swerved to avoid a motorbike in its path and directly hit Supriya, who was thrown onto its windshield. However, the vehicle did not slow down, and it only came to a stop after crashing into a parked private car,” said an officer with the Wadala police station.

The officer added that passersby immediately rushed her to the Sion Hospital, and also informed her husband after getting his contact details from her son. Supriya was declared dead before admission due to extensive head injuries.

Meanwhile, other eyewitnesses informed the police and also restrained the taxi driver from fleeing. A police team reached the spot within half an hour and took Sheikh into custody, after which he was placed under arrest.

“We have charged Sheikh with causing death due to rash and negligent driving under the Indian Penal Code, along with relevant sections of the Motor Vehicles Act. He was arrested on Saturday night and was produced in court on Sunday, after which he was granted bail on a cash bond,” the officer said.

The officer added that Supriya used to work as domestic help to supplement her husband’s earnings so that they could educate their four children, and was well-liked among all her employers. Several of them were seen rallying around her husband and the children after the accident, offering whatever support they could.

Residents of the area said that over the last couple of years, the menace of rash driving by taxi drivers in the area had increased at an alarming rate and that this has been brought to the notice of the local police more than once.

“The taxi drivers threaten to come to our house and hurt us whenever we try to protest against their rash behaviour, which is why a lot of us don’t even come forward anymore,” a resident who did not wish to be named said.