Accused had consumed alcohol few hours before accident that left CEO dead: Worli Police

The deceased, Rajalakshmi Ramkrishnan, was a Dadar resident and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Altruist Technologies Private Limited. She was an avid runner and had recently completed the Tata Mumbai Marathon.

A senior police officer overseeing the probe said, “While we are still awaiting the final medical reports, statements of Merchant’s friends reveal that he had organised a party at his house in Tardeo. The party went on till 2am and his friends, who were present there, have confirmed in their statements to us that Merchant consumed alcohol at the party.”

The officer further said, “After the party, Merchant decided to drop his two friends in Dadar during which he allegedly lost control on the vehicle which hit a divider near the Worli Parsi dairy before crashing into Rajalakshmi from behind.” A few bystanders rushed Ramkrishnan to Poddar Hospital while others overpowered Merchant, who had also sustained injuries in the accident.

Locals then called the Worli police and handed the 23-year-old over to them.
At the police station, an FIR was registered under section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the IPC and section 184 (driving at a speed dangerous to the public) of the Motor Vehicles Act against Merchant following which he was arrested.

Merchant’s blood samples were collected and sent for medical examination to check if he was driving under the influence of alcohol.

A police officer said, “As he (Merchant) had not slept throughout the night due to the house party, there is a suspicion that he may have fallen asleep while driving and thus lost control over his four-wheeler. We have requested relevant authorities to submit the medical report at the earliest.”