Worli jogger accident: Accused had been drinking, friends tell police

Sumer’s speeding car hit 58-year-old jogger Rajalakshmi Vijay Ramakrishnan on Sunday morning at Worli Sea Face. The impact was so severe that Rajalakshmi was flung several feet away and was killed on the spot. The accused was on his way to drop his friends at Shivaji Park after partying with them the whole night

MUMBAI: The Dadar metropolitan magistrate court on Monday remanded 23-year-old Sumer Dharmesh Merchant to police custody till March 22 after the Worli police informed the court that his friends told them that he had been drinking the night before.

Mumbai, India - March 20, 2023: Accused Sumer Dharmesh Merchant (23) (Black T-shirt) produced before the Bhoiwada Court by Mumbai police, in the accident case that hit 58-year-old Rajalakshmi Vijay, CEO of a tech firm by his speeding car while jogging along Worli sea face early on Sunday, killing her on the spot, in Mumbai, India, on Monday, March 20, 2023. (Photo by Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo) (HT PHOTO)

Sumer’s speeding car hit 58-year-old jogger Rajalakshmi Vijay Ramakrishnan on Sunday morning at Worli Sea Face. The impact was so severe that Rajalakshmi was flung several feet away and was killed on the spot. The accused was on his way to drop his friends at Shivaji Park after partying with them the whole night.

The Worli police produced Merchant, a Tardeo resident, before metropolitan magistrate J P Shirale and sought his police custody. Arguing for the police, public prosecutor Santosh Gadhave informed the court that Merchant’s friends, who were made witnesses, had in their statements revealed that they had partied the whole night with the accused, who consumed alcohol. “We are trying to ascertain what he had taken,” said Gadhave. However, the accused told the police that he had not drunk any liquor after 8 pm.

Gadhave said the police had already applied Section 304 (II) of the Indian Penal Code – culpable homicide not amounting to murder, which carries a life imprisonment penalty. “Merchant knew his negligent act could result in somebody’s death, but despite that, he drove the car rashly,” Gadhave told the court.

The public prosecutor said the victim worked with a multinational company, and the police also wanted to ascertain if there was any past rivalry between the accused and the victim or if the accused was paid by anybody to carry out the act. He added that the vehicle was going at such high speed that the woman was flung far away.

Gadhave told the court that they were waiting for the chemical analysis report and had taken blood samples of the accused to ascertain if he was under the influence of alcohol. “We have also asked for CCTV footage to check his car speed,” he said.

Advocate Anjali Patil, who appeared for the accused, submitted that there was no need for Merchant to be in police custody, as his blood samples had already been taken. She claimed that it was a “simple accident” and Merchant’s car hit the victim, as a sharp curve at the place of the incident had compromised his vision. “His house has already been searched, and there is nothing to be recovered from him,” she added.

Advocate Hemant Ingle, who represented the husband of the deceased, submitted that it was not a “simple accident”, and witnesses had already given statements to the police that the accused was intoxicated. Ingle expressed apprehension that Merchant could tamper with the evidence and influence witnesses if he was let out. After hearing everyone, the court remanded Merchant to police custody till March 22.

The police said that Merchant lived in Tardeo with his parents and younger brother and worked with an event management firm. His parents had gone to Himachal Pradesh when he organised a party at his residence on Saturday night and invited his friends. The accident took place when he was going to drop them after a night of partying.

Joggers run in solidarity

On Monday morning, runners’ groups from Shivaji Park, Juhu and Thane gathered at Shivaji Park and went to Worli police station, where they met police officers and took stock of what had happened in the investigations till then. “We were around 150 people who gathered and peacefully went to the police and spoke about the case with them,” said Ashish Chandak, a Dadar resident who belongs to the Shivaji Park joggers’ group. The group said the cops had taken blood samples of the accused late in the afternoon, though he was arrested in the morning.

Rajalakshmi Vijay Ramakrishnan was the chief executive officer of Business of Altruist Technologies Pvt Ltd, which has over 14,000 employees, 32 clients, and 17 delivery centres spread across India, Africa, and the UAE.