Senior citizen run over by taxi on Mumbai’s eastern freeway; driver arrested

The 70-year-old, Algalswami Shettiyaar, had gone for a morning walk when the driver, Hafeez Khan, 50, hit him

A senior citizen, who had come to his son for a vacation in the city, was knocked down by a taxi on eastern freeway on Wednesday. The 70-year-old, Algalswami Shettiyaar, had gone for a morning walk when the driver, Hafeez Khan, 50, hit him. According to a police officer, Shettiyaar had come from Chennai for a month and was staying with his son at Ashok Nagar near Panjarpol junction.

Shettiyaar left the house at 8.15 am . While he was walking on the side of the freeway, the driver, coming from Chembur heading towards Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, was caught off guard after seeing him. “Khan unsuccessfully tried to save him. As he was speeding he could not control the taxi and ran over Shettiyaar. Khan later crashed the taxi into the side wall of a tunnel. He was also injured,” said the officer.

The police were alerted by passers-by who rushed Shettiyaar to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead. The Trombay police have booked Khan who is admitted to the Rajawadi Hospital. “We have booked Khan, who is a resident of Govandi for rash driving and death due to negligence,” said sub-inspector Harishchandra Gawde.