Vanity van being driven by helper plunges into ravine in Film City

In the driver’s absence, the helper, who did not possess professional driving training, was asked to move the van between shooting locations

MUMBAI: A 30-year-old helper was injured after a vanity van plunged into a ravine inside Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari (Film City) at Aarey Colony on Monday, allegedly after he was asked to drive the vehicle despite not being a trained driver.

Vanity van being driven by helper plunges into ravine in Film City

According to the police, Sumit Maruti Kumbhar, 45, a Maharashtra Security Force personnel posted as chief security guard at Film City, received a message from the control room at 2.20 pm, informing him that a vanity van had fallen into a valley near Village Gate No. 3, popularly known as Elephant Gate.

“When Kumbhar reached the spot, he found that the vanity van had fallen into a ravine about 10 metres deep. The driver, identified as Satyam Kherwan, 30, had sustained injuries. Kumbhar rushed Kherwan to a nearby hospital,” said a police officer.

The police’s investigation has revealed that the vehicle belonged to one Anil Sham Singh, who rents out vanity vans for film and television shoots. Singh told investigators that the van had been hired for a full day’s shoot and that the regular driver, Chandresh Chita Yadav, 40, had left the location after dropping the vehicle earlier in the day.

In the driver’s absence, Singh allegedly instructed Kherwan, who was employed as a helper and did not possess professional driving training, to move the van between shooting locations, the officer added. Kherwan told police that he was driving the vehicle on the instructions of Singh and a member of the shooting crew identified as Arun.

Based on Kumbhar’s complaint, Aarey Sub police registered a case against Singh and Arun under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, for negligence and acts endangering human life.