Nagpur man runs over SUV on two men sleeping at Versova beach; one dead, another injured

The deceased, Ganesh Vikram Yadav, was a resident of the Sagar Kutir area. To avoid hot climate, Yadav, an autorickshaw driver, was sleeping on the Andheri-Versova beach on Sunday night with his friend Bablu Shrivastava, a delivery boy from Andheri.

“Around 5.45 am, I was abruptly awakened by a blunt impact on my head and hand. I saw a car running over Ganesh, who was sleeping beside me. He sustained serious injuries to his head and face and was lying unconscious. Two men got out of the white SUV, which and bore the registration number MH31-FE-3033. Upon seeing Yadav seriously injured and unresponsive, they fled the scene in their vehicle as people began to gather,” Shrivastava recounted in his statement to the Versova police.

After learning of the incident, Yadav’s brother, Bajrangi Yadav, rushed to the scene and took both Yadav and Shrivastava to Cooper Hospital in an autorickshaw. Yadav was declared dead at the hospital.

Based on Shrivastava’s statement, the police registered an FIR and launched a manhunt for the suspects. Other witnesses present at the scene were also identified, and their statements were recorded.

After an extensive search, the two suspects, Nikhil Dilip Jawate, 34, of Nagpur, and Shubham Ashok Dongre, 33, of Airoli, Navi Mumbai, were apprehended after their SUV was traced.

The SUV involved in the accident (Express)

“Jawate had borrowed the vehicle from its owner for a cab business and had come to Mumbai to drop a customer,” a senior police officer stated.

“Vehicles are not allowed on the beach. But they somehow managed to enter the beach area. The suspects were aware that people were sleeping on the beach when they drove the vehicle over them. They fled the scene. We have collected their blood samples and sent them for testing to determine if they were intoxicated at the time of the incident,” said Ganesh Pawar, senior inspector of the Versova police station.

The two accused have been charged under several sections, including 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 125A (negligent act causing hurt), 239 (intentional omission to give information of an offense by a person bound to inform), 281 (rash driving or riding on a public way), 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), and 134A (failure to secure medical attention for the injured) and 134B (failure to inform the police to provide help to the injured) of the Motor Vehicle Act.

“The accused were presented in Andheri court on Tuesday and were remanded to five days in police custody,” Pawar added.