PUNE: In yet another incident of reckless driving in Pune, two minor girls were killed on the spot when a speeding Hyundai i10 knocked them down in the city’s upmarket Baner area on Monday.
Four others, including the mothers of both children and a man, were grievously injured as the car rammed into the low divider where the five were standing, throwing them on the road.
The lady driving the car suffered minor injuries when her vehicle came to a halt after crashing into a signboard on the divider.
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The victims — Ishita Vishwakarma and Sajid Shaikh (both aged four years) — were killed on the spot. Their mothers, Pooja Vishwakarma and Nisha Shaikh, are seriously injured, as is another member of the Shaikh family, Sajad Shaikh. Both families are residents of Baner’s Vasudha Society.
The incident occurred at around 2.30 p.m. when the minors, accompanied by their mothers and Mr. Shaikh, were stepping out after shopping in D-Mart.
As they stood on the divider attempting to negotiate the continuous stream of vehicles, the errant driver and her car (MH-12, GV 8734) suddenly swooped down on them, crashing into the divider.
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The offender, who later availed of treatment at a private hospital, is believed to be the wife of a city builder, said police.
“The lady appears to have lost control of her vehicle when she swerved onto the dividers. We have taken her into custody and a case of rash and negligent driving will be lodged soon. As of now, we are probing what led to the tragedy,” said Assistant Commissioner of Police Vaishali Jadhav-Mane, speaking to The Hindu .
In February this year, a five-year-old girl, Sakina Daddenar was killed on the spot after she was knocked down by a car while attempting to cross Baner Road. A 61-year-old retired officer of a private company was booked for negligent driving in that case.