Mumbai: One of two youths who intervened in an altercation between the drivers of two cars on the Sion-Panvel highway, was killed while the other was left battling for life when one of the drivers, incensed at their mediation, rammed his car into their bike. Navi Mumbai Police said the incident took place in the wee hours of Sunday.
According to the police, a fight broke out between the drivers of an Uber cab and a call centre vehicle near Vashi. The complainant, Ashwin Dilip Kamble, who drives for Uber, was taking a u-turn at Vashi Plaza to head towards Mumbai when he noticed a tea stall and decided to visit it as his fare had cancelled minutes after booking.
Senior PI Ajay Landge, Vashi police station, said Mr. Kamble was turning the car when another car coming from Vashi railway station blocked his path. “Mr. Kamble asked the other driver, Vinod Dyaneshwar Darekar, 23, to allow him to pass. This angered Darekar and his friend, Sushant Namdev Junghare, 27, who dragged Mr. Kamble out and began assaulting him. Saleem Shamsad Khan, 29, a Kalyan resident and Mohnis Saleem Momin, 27, a Ghansoli resident who were having tea at the stall, intervened.”
Mediation goes wrong
Their attempted mediation angered Darekar and Junghare, who began abusing Mr. Khan and Mr. Momin and threatened them with dire consequences. As they dispersed, Mr. Kamble requested Mr. Khan and Mr. Momin to accompany his car on their two-wheeler till Vashi toll plaza as he was apprehensive Darekar and Junghare might pursue him.
The duo accompanied Mr. Kamble on Mr. Khan’s two-wheeler while Darekar and Junghare followed in their car. A little before Vashi toll plaza, Darekar and Junghare rammed their car into the two-wheeler, allegedly on purpose, killing him on the spot and seriously injuring Mr. Momin. The accused then tried to take a u-turn but hit the divider. “After they rammed onto the divider, the accused abandoned the car and fled from the spot,” PI Nitin Gite said.
While checking the accused’s car, police found an RC book in Darekar’s name and a laminated notice that said the car was contracted to an Accenture call centre, with a phone number for complaints. Mr. Gite added, “We called the number, which turned out to be of the transport supervisor at the call centre. The supervisor shared details of the driver and his mobile number. Using these, we traced him and his friend to his flat in Sector 4, Koparkhairane.”
Mr. Khan, who worked for GAP at Mindspace in Airoli, died of head injuries on the spot while Mr. Momin, who worked for Accenture in Gurgaon, received injuries to his head and chest and is admitted to NMMC Hospital in Vashi. He had come home for Eid from Gurgaon, and was visiting a common friend in Vashi with Mr. Khan.
The accused have been remanded in magisterial custody and will be produced in court after an identification parade at Taloja jail, where the police will request their custody. The accused were arrested under IPC sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention).
