Truck runs over, kills biker; residents set truck ablaze

Some residents who witnessed the accident claim that the biker lost balance while riding on the pothole-ridden road and fell under the truck wheels but the police have dismissed the claim

Mumbai: Tension erupted in Nalasopara East on Saturday after a 25-year-old motorcyclist died and the pillion rider was seriously injured after allegedly being run over by a passing truck. The incident soon triggered violence when the angry residents set the truck on fire, the police said.

Truck runs over, kills biker; residents set truck ablaze

According to the police, the accident occurred on Saturday afternoon when Mahesh Desai, 25, and his brother, Lavkush Verma, 26, were riding a two-wheeler in the Santosh Bhavan area of Nalasopara (East) when a truck rammed into their bike, causing them both to fall on the road. “The truck then ran over the two men. They were seriously injured and were rushed to a nearby hospital by some passersby. While Verma, who was pillion riding, sustained severe injuries, Desai was declared dead,” said a police officer.

After the accident, the truck driver, identified as Vitthal Shinde, fled the scene, leaving the truck behind. Angry residents of the area soon gathered at the accident site and set the truck on fire, the officer said.

The police have registered a case against the truck driver for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and arrested him on Sunday morning. Cases have also been registered against a few locals, who set the truck ablaze, the officer added.