Lawyer talking on phone while driving, hits cop

A 30-year-old advocate was arrested on Thursday for allegedly dashing into a traffic constable who was trying to apprehend the former for talking on the phone while driving.

A 30-year-old advocate was arrested on Thursday for allegedly dashing into a traffic constable who was trying to apprehend the former for talking on the phone while driving.

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The accused’s relatives, however, alleged that the Vile Parle police illegally detained Zuber Patel and his one-year-old son in the lock-up for more than four hours before handing over the child to them.

Assistant Inspector Xaviers Roge of Vile Parle police station denied the allegations. “The child was never kept in the lock-up. The allegations are baseless.”

The police said around 9.30 am, Patel was on his way to the airport to pick up his uncle Ahmed Barucha who was returning from the Haj.

Patel’s son was also with him.

“He was talking on his cell phone while driving. So I tried to apprehend him. But he hit homeguard Prabhat Shankar Pandey and me. He tried to flee but the people caught him,” said Traffic Constable S.D. Bhingle.

Patel was taken to the Vile Parle police station and was charged under sections of the Motor Vehicles Act and for
trying to prevent a government servant from performing his duty.

Barucha alleged that Patel was beaten up in the lock-up.

“The police even put Patel’s son inside the lock-up for hours. He was not even given water. It was only after I insisted that I was allowed to take the child home,” said Ahmed.