Thane: 2 dead as car crashes into pole, flips thrice

4 of 6 relatives who had gone out to eat pani puri after a pre-wedding function in critical condition; cops suspect they were drunk

A short car drive to have pani puri after a pre-wedding function cost two people their lives, as the vehicle rammed into a pole, flipped thrice and hit a divider at Ghodbunder Road in Thane on Thursday.

Two died and four were injured after the driver lost control of the car and hit a divider on the Manpada flyover in Thane on Thursday. (HT Photo)

According to the police, the six men, all relatives, had gone for a pre-marriage function of their kin at Manpada on Wednesday evening. “As the function got over around 12.30am, the six of them decided to have pani puri at an eatery that was 8km away,” said Ashok Wagh, investigating officer from Kapurbawdi police station.

As they reached Manpada bridge, one km away from the event venue, the driver, Shailesh Patil, 31, lost control over the vehicle. “The road was clear and the car was at high speed. It crashed into a pole and overturned,” Wagh said.

Passers-by alerted the control room, after which a police team reached the spot. “Local residents rushed the six men to a nearby private hospital. Arjun Pardhi, 33, and Ankush Chandwade, 29, who were sitting behind the driver’s seat, succumbed during the treatment. Patil, Sanjeev Jaiswal, 33, Dipak Babu Kamble, 29, and Jagdish Saluja, 30, suffered injuries. We have registered a case against Patil. We suspect all of them were drunk. We have conducted medical test and the reports are awaited,” said Wagh.

The four injured are in critical condition.

Harshil Wagh, 34, a social worker from Manpada who also attended the function, said, “Once the men left, we started to clean the premises. Suddenly, we heard of a traffic pile-up towards Thane. On reaching the spot we realized our friends had met with an accident.”