Watch: Toyota Fortuner fills with water after being driven into sea in Goa, 22-year-old owner booked

A case has been registered after a person drove an SUV into the sea in Goa, where it became lodged in the sand and had to be lifted out with the help of a crane

Published on: Mar 24, 2026 9:50 AM IST

By Sanya Jain

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A case has been registered after a person drove an SUV into the sea in Goa, where it became lodged in the sand and had to be lifted out with the help of a crane. This incident marks yet another case of reckless driving and unruly behaviour by tourists in the coastal state.

Water was seen gushing out of the Fortuner after it became stuck on a Goa beach

The viral video

Footage of the Toyota Fortuner stuck on the beach was widely shared on social media, where the act was criticised by many viewers. (Also read: 2 college students drive Mahindra Thar into sea to make reels, get stranded in water)

According to a report in The Goan, the driver drove a Gujarat-registered vehicle onto Goa’s Vagator beach. The car became stuck in the sand. As the tide rose, water entered the vehicle.

Heavy machinery had to be deployed to pull the Fortuner out of the water. Visuals shared online show a JCB crane that was used in the rescue. The video also shows people opening the doors of the SUV, only to find water gushing out.

Police said that the car was driven in a rash and negligent manner on the beach and into the water. The driver endangered human life and violated safety norms as driving on the beach is strictly prohibited.

Anjuna Police registered an offence under Sections 281 and 125 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant provisions of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules and the Motor Vehicles Act.

22-year-old car owner’s clarification

The owner of the vehicle was identified as 22-year-old Arjun Singh Rawat. He claimed that he had given his car to hotel staff to be washed, and had not authorized it to be driven to the beach.

“I had given the car for washing, not to be driven onto the beach,” he said, according to The Goan.

Police said that an investigation is underway to determine the sequence of events.Ultimately, the responsibility will rest with the driver rather than the owner of the car.

(Also read: Ferrari gets stuck on Raigad’s Revdanda beach, rescued by bullock cart: 'Bull power saves the day')

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sanya Jain
Sanya Jain is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times Digital. She has nearly a decade of experience in covering offbeat stories that speak to the everyday experience - from viral videos to human interest copies that spark conversation. Her interests stretch across business, pop culture, social media trends, entertainment and global affairs. Before joining Hindustan Times, Sanya spent two years with Moneycontrol and five years with NDTV. She holds an undergraduate degree in English literature from St Stephen’s College, Delhi, and a master’s in journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai. Sanya has a sharp eye for spotting emerging trends and looking for newsworthy angles to elevate viral posts into meaningful narratives. She was the first one, for example, to cover Narayana Murthy’s remark on 70-hour work weeks that sparked a national conversation. She is equally at ease writing about business leaders as about the common man, about issues of national importance and memes that amuse social media. Sanya enjoys speaking with content creators, newsmakers and entrepreneurs to transform everyday moments into engaging, slice-of-life stories that resonate with readers. When she is not working, Sanya can be found curled up with a good book. Born and raised in Lucknow, she has spent the last several years in Delhi. She is deeply interested in animal welfare and now spends a lot of her time running after her destructive orange cat.Read More

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