Three sleeping on road run over by tanker at Vikhroli; one arrested

Khandu Waghmare, 60, the complainant in the case and husband of Laxmi, told police that they have been staying on the footpath for the past 30 years.

A 32-year-old tanker driver was arrested by the Parksite police in Vikhroli on Saturday for allegedly causing another tanker to run over three people sleeping on the road, including a three-year-old child.

The tanker that was parked ahead was unoccupied and did not have any stone under its tyres, so it moved forward and ran over the three victims, according to the police officials. (HTPhotos)

The accused, identified as Ashok Alguram Sahu, was arrested on Saturday night.

“The accused said he parks the tanker every day at the same spot and yesterday too was parking the vehicle, when he lost control and hit the tanker ahead. The tanker that was parked ahead was unoccupied and did not have any stone under its tyres, so it moved forward and ran over the three victims,” said a police officer at Parksite station.

According to the police, Laxmi Khandu Waghmare 50, and her children Sayama Sahebrao Waghmare, 15, and Kartik Ganesh Waghmare, 3, were sleeping on the Powai-Vikhroli road. The victims’ family said they had slept on the road owing to the soaring heat.

Khandu Waghmare, 60, the complainant in the case and husband of Laxmi, told police that they have been staying on the footpath for the past 30 years.

“Around 9.40pm, I heard a huge noise. I woke up as the tanker’s tyre brushed my shoulder and I suffered minor injuries. I saw that my wife, grand daughter and grandson had been crushed under the tyre and were bleeding profusely. We tried to catch the driver but he fled the spot,” said Waghmare in his statement to the police.

The three victims were shifted hospital. “Laxmi and Sayama were dead on the spot, while Kartik succumbed to his injuries later,” said a police officer.