Students hit & run,with or without a cause

Another student,who had hit a traffic policeman at Santacruz,had his own reason for speeding: he had been running late for a dinner date with his girlfriend,the police said.

Both fled but were later arrested,Tuesday’s catering student the next evening,and Thursday’s medical student that very day.

On Tuesday,Sabyasachi Nishad of Dadar Catering College hit the constable who was trying to flag down his Honda CRV at Milan subway. “Nishad jumped a signal,hit constable Kisan Darade and did not bother to stop and help him. He went ahead and had dinner with his girlfriend,a resident of Matunga,Vile Parle,” said DCP (Zone 10) KMM Prasanna. The police also arrested Sagar Kumar,a friend in the passenger seat.

On Thursday,Shreeji Yagnik,22,in the final year of a medical college at Chembur,hit Smita Patil,45,with his Hyundai Accent at Hanuman Road junction,and was arrested from near Andheri bridge,after a chase by a beat constable.

“Yagnik was on his way home to Thakur Complex after classes. The signal was red but traffic was thin and he sped forward,hitting the woman as she was crossing the road,” said a police officer. The woman,a housewife,has been admitted to Cooper Hospital with a fracture.

Like Nishad,Yagnik ignored the traffic constable on the spot and tried to flee without stopping to help. But constable Sandeep Satam gave chase on his bike and caught him.

Tuesday’s incident has a twist: the licence plates are fake. Nishad had bought the car second hand,apparently without knowing it had been stolen from the basement parking area of Juhu PVR.

“We are trying to trace the seller,” said senior inspector Madhukar Chaudhari of Santacruz police.