Thane: Four youths killed in road accident

The police suspect it was a hit-and-run case and have registered a case against an unidentified person. However, they are yet to ascertain the sequence of events.

Four youngsters, crammed on to one bike, died after their two-wheeler collided with another vehicle on Friday, the police said.

The police suspect it was a hit-and-run case and have registered a case against an unidentified person. However, they are yet to ascertain the sequence of events.

The police said the four deceased, Krishna Raghunath Mahale, 23, Arjun Gaikwad, 20, Pankaj Gavit, 21– all residents of Manpada — and Nilesh Thorat, 23, a resident of Palghar, were all daily wage labourers. Thorat had come to Thane for Ganesh festival celebrations.

Around 2.40am on Friday, an auto driver found the four injured youngsters lying on the road and informed the police. “When our officers reached the spot, we found the four had suffered major injuries and their motorcycle was damaged. They were taken to the Thane civil hospital, where the doctor declared them dead,” said VB Chandanshive, deputy commissioner of police, Wagle Estate division, zone 5.

“We are trying to find out if there were any witnesses to the accident, or if a CCTV camera captured it, so that we can find out who hit whom and how the accident happened,” he said.

The family members of the deceased told the police that the four had gone out for seventh-day immersion rituals as part of the ongoing Ganesh festival and had come home around 1am. They then stepped out again saying they want to get something to eat.