A routine campaign drive turned fatal on Friday evening when the driver of Shiv Sena candidate Kiran Chaubey’s car lost control on the Ambernath flyover in Thane district, crashing into bikers coming from the opposite direction. Four people died in the accident, and three received grievous injuries.
A senior police officer said the accident took place while Chaubey was heading to Buvapada for an election campaign in Ambernath West.
The officer said eyewitnesses told them that Chaubey’s driver, Laxman Shinde, 30, became motionless while driving as he suffered a heart attack and lost control of the Tata Nexon car.
CCTV footage captured the high-impact crash, showing the Nexon car heading from Ambernath East to West suddenly swerving right before colliding with at least four to five vehicles.
Sachin Gore, Deputy Commissioner of Police, said, “The post mortem (of Shinde) would clear the exact reason… We cannot say at this stage what happened to the driver. But he lost control of the vehicle, and that was captured by the CCTV camera.”
The deceased have been identified as Laxman Shinde, driver of Chaubey’s car, bikers Chandrakant Anarse, Shailesh Jadhav, and Sumit Chelani. Due to the impact of the crash, Anarse was flung into the air along with his motorcycle and later died during treatment. Anarse and Jadhav were employees of the municipal council.
Among the injured, Chaubey is currently admitted to Fortis Hospital. Other injured persons, Amit Chavan and an unidentified biker, are recuperating in Dombivali hospital, said a police officer.
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Senior Inspector Shabbir Sayyed of Ambernath police station said passersby rushed to the spot after the accident. The injured bikers were taken to the hospital while people broke open the car’s windows to pull Chaubey out of the mangled vehicle.
The Ambernath police have registered a case against driver Shinde. The police are analysing CCTV footage as well as eyewitness accounts to reconstruct the sequence of events. The police said they would also carry out a mechanical inspection of the car to determine the cause of the accident.
Manish Kumar Pathak is a dedicated journalist reporting for The Indian Express from Mumbai. His work demonstrates substantial Expertise and Authority across the complex field of crime reporting, with a strong focus on law enforcement actions, fraud, and cyber security challenges facing the metropolitan region.
Expertise & Authority
Affiliation: Reports for the nationally recognized daily, The Indian Express, providing his content with high Trustworthiness.
Geographical Focus: Provides comprehensive, ground-level coverage of breaking news and investigative matters across Mumbai and the surrounding regions (e.g., Thane, Vasai).
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Cyber & Financial Crime: Extensive coverage of sophisticated scams, including cases involving high-value cyber fraud, stock market manipulation scams, and fraudsters using government figures to gain trust.
Law Enforcement & Investigation: Reports directly on major police actions, including arrests made by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in fraud cases (e.g., MHADA flat scams) and detailed coverage of murder and kidnapping investigations.
Major Incidents & Public Safety: Covers significant incidents like building collapses, road accidents, and public safety issues such as theft at large public events.
Defence & Maritime: Also covers key updates regarding the Indian Navy, including the commissioning of new vessels and strategic defense announcements.
Manish Kumar Pathak's consistent focus on crime, fraud, and the workings of the Mumbai police system establishes him as a trusted and authoritative source for critical news in Western India. ... Read More
