60-year-old rickshaw driver booked as wife dies after his auto hits a pole in Thane

A 54-year-old woman died after her husband, who was driving the rickshaw she was in, lost control of his vehicle and hit a pole in Thane on Sunday. The accused was booked for rash driving on Monday.

According to police, the duo was returning from Dahisar on Sunday night. The accused, Manik Thokal, 60, is a resident of Kalwa in Thane. The deceased Shalini Thomas was a homemaker. Thokal was not drunk, police said.

Thokal and Thomas, police said, had gone to Dahisar on Sunday to meet their daughter.

“While coming back from Dahisar at night, Thokal lost control of his vehicle and drove over a divider before hitting a street light pole on Ghodbunder Road in Thane. Thomas’ head banged on the meter box as she fell out of the rickshaw,” said a police officer from Kasarvadavali police station who did not wish to be named.

Soon, the locals alerted the police and the duo was rushed to a nearby hospital. Later, Thomas was shifted to Kalwa Civil Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries.

The police officer said, “Thokal was not drunk. However, we registered a case against him on Monday for rash and negligent driving under the Motor Vehicle Act. We will arrest him soon,” the officer added.